


Racing By

by rebelforce



Series: Calendar Girls [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Also Finn/Poe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Mechanics, Mutual Pining, Relationship(s), Smut, Summer, Summer Vacation, maine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-11-28 14:19:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11419767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelforce/pseuds/rebelforce
Summary: "Her nametag said “Jess” and Rey tucked that information into her pocket like it was sacred knowledge."Rey finds out where her father is and brings her best friend Finn along to find him. They tumble headfirst into a summer of new families, romance, lake houses, and cars. Neither of them are complaining.This is a modern AU, the Solo's own an auto shop in rural Maine.





	1. Solo's Sales and Mechanics

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I got the idea for this fic this weekend. I felt like writing something summery and once I sat down to write I actually got a pretty solid outline and I can't wait for you guys to read it! Here's my fanfic equivilent to a summer beach read lol.

If Rey had remembered anything correctly, she would have said that New England weather was far cooler than Arizona. As her arms strained against the steering wheel of her car, she considered the potential that she and Finn would burn alive before they made it to their destination. 

“Are you even pushing back there?” 

“Rey, we’re literally going up a hill.” Finn, her best friend and travel companion, was at the back of the vehicle. The car was, admittedly, a junker, and needed to be given momentum before the engine would start. 

“Try harder.” 

“I’ve got two arms and two legs and let me assure you, all four of them are doing the best they can.” 

They were both dripping with sweat, the sun glinting off the droplets on their arms. It wouldn’t be so bad if they could just get in the car (which, of all things, did have a working air conditioner), but until then the mix of physical exertion and Maine summer heat was doing them in.  
Finn stopped pushing and turned, resting against the bumper. “I say we foot it from here. It’s an auto shop, they must have a tow truck.”

“You’re right, this thing is garbage.” Rey pat the hood with a frown, frustrated with the borrowed vehicle. 

Neither of them were exactly Maine natives. Both Rey and Finn had grown up in Arizona. They had met in school and bonded over less than perfect parentage. Rey lived with a mother she couldn’t quite remember until she was about 7, when the woman passed away. She was then a warden of the state, ending up in a foster home with a man who was anything but a father to her. Her real father had been a mystery, but after she graduated high school a year ago, she made it her mission to find any piece of information she could about the man that made up half of her.

The last thing Rey ever expected was to find not only his name, but his address. “Luke Skywalker” the woman on the phone had said before listing of a street address. Rey thought that sounded a lot more like a sci-fi character than the name of her father, but she’d shown up on his doorstep to find an honest to god person. Luke had listened patiently as she explained her situation, and instead of kicking her out on the curb like she expected, he’d welcomed her and Finn into his home. Apparently, Rey had an entire family she didn’t know about. 

If it hadn’t been for Luke, Rey and Finn wouldn’t be pushing a dead car along the side of the road, but Rey would take the good with the bad. Rey didn’t have a car, they had driven Finn’s up from Arizona. As well intentioned as Luke had been in giving her the old car, he’d instructed her to take it down to Solo’s Sales and Mechanics. Clearly, they hadn’t made it far. 

A bell clanged against the glass as the door to the auto shop opened, earning the attention of the young woman sitting behind the desk, reading a book. Her dark hair was pushed aside into a braid, more pieces hanging around her face than not, making Rey wonder why she bothered to pull it up in the first place. Rey was a little taken aback by how pretty she was, large expressive eyes and impressively sharp cheekbones. 

It was only once the girl cleared her throat that Rey realized she’d been staring. 

“Can I help you guys?” She spread the paperback onto the counter to keep her spot. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, Rey noted. Nice. 

Finn answered, since Rey’s voice had apparently escaped her. “Yeah, we broke down about half a mile from here, can you guys give us a hand? We’re not really sure what’s wrong with the car, it’s just sort of…” 

“A piece of junk?” The girl smiled, finishing Finn’s sentence as he struggled to find the right word. Her nametag said “Jess” and Rey tucked that information into her pocket like it was sacred knowledge.

“The Flintstone’s had more reliable vehicles than this one.” Finn smiled back at her. 

“Well duh, that was all foot power.” Jess hopped down from her stool, approaching the doorway into the garage itself. “Let me grab Poe, he’ll help you guys out.” 

Finn looked over at Rey as she left, his eyebrows raised. “Need a glass of water? A cold shower? Anything?” 

He laughed at his best friend as her ears turned pink, shaking her head. “It’s just… hot. You know, the weather.” 

“Sure Rey, it’s the weather.” 

Jess came back a moment later with the man that must have been Poe. He looked like one of those old Hollywood movie stars, and the horrible orange color of his mechanic uniform actually accentuated the tan color of his skin. Now Rey and Finn were both staring. 

“You guys need some help? I can get the tow set up for you.” Poe smiled warmly at them, grabbing a pair of keys from under the desk. 

Jess leaned over a clip board, pulling a pen from behind her ear. Her grin was friendly as she caught Rey’s eye, “Do you mind giving me your information?” 

“Oh, sure!” Rey spoke up for the first time in minutes, taking steps closer to the desk. 

“What’s your name?”

“Rey Skywalker,” The use of Luke’s last name felt alien, but he had encouraged her to use it in town. It seemed he had a lot of connections and Rey wasn’t about to complain. 

Jess quirked an eyebrow at Rey, pausing before writing anything down. “Wait, like… Luke Skywalker, Skywalker?” 

Rey shrugged, unsure of how to appropriately answer the question. “I guess so?” 

Jess smiled, shaking her head. “Hang on a second.” The girl turned and walked into the office behind her, speaking to someone Rey couldn’t see. 

“Hey Han, I’ve got someone out here claiming to belong to your brother in law.” 

There was a brief silence before a gruff voice answered, “Pava what kind of stories are you making up now?”

“This isn’t a story this time!” Rey could practically see the girl’s hands on her hips. “Come see, come on. Her name is Rey.”

“I don’t know anyone named Rey.”

“Han, come on.”

Jess returned up front with another man in tow, this one in his sixties or so, a permanent look of disinterest on his features. A large dog followed them out into the lobby, his pink tongue panting in the heat. Jess was beaming. 

Han studied Rey for a moment, searching her face for something that he recognized. “Who are you?” He questioned unceremoniously. 

“I’m Rey.” She was slightly flustered by the sudden interrogation.

“Well, sure, we’ve all but covered that.” Han smiled, not entirely warmly, but enough that Rey relaxed the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Are you… Luke’s daughter? The one from New Mexico?”

“Arizona, sir.” Rey nodded, clearing her throat. “And yes, I believe so.” 

Han clasped a hand to her shoulder, giving her a nod. “Well you’re part of the family, then! Poe, let’s help these guys out. Luke gave you the Falcon, I gather?” 

Rey smiled, relieved at his break in stoicism. “He did, but how did you know that?”

“Well, you ended up here. I drove the Falcon for years but even I’ll admit she’s got some issues.” 

“She’s garbage, sir,” Rey wrinkled her nose as they exited the shop, towards the tow truck. 

“Hey,” Han stopped short, waving a finger. “Not garbage, just… tricky. Got it?”

Rey nodded, amused at his protection of what was pretty clearly a hunk of junk. “Got it.” 

“Wait, so this is the Falcon?” Poe spoke up, emphasizing ‘the’. “The car that drove the Kessel run in 14 seconds?” 

“12!” Han called as he lifted himself into the drivers seat. He turned to Rey, outside of the truck. “How about I go get her, and I’ll show you how to fix her up? That alright with you?”

Rey beamed at his hospitality, flattered that he cared enough to do it personally. She assumed the auto shop had plenty of staff that could take care of her car, but it meant a lot to her that Han wanted to do it with her. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

“No more ‘sir’. We’re family, Rey,” Han winked at her as he drove away, Poe in the passenger seat. 

Finn stepped up behind her, gripping her shoulder with his hand. “Your new uncle is weird.” 

Rey chuckled nodding her head. “I have a feeling this entire summer is going to be weird.”

Jess

Six o’clock rolled around without much of an event, aside from an argument with a particularly cheap customer. The sun was still bright in the sky, the days long now that summer was officially here. It had been a particularly hot day, but business had been fairly slow as it usually was this time of year. Once locals started vacationing and the tourists rolled in every July, the mechanic team at Solo Sales and Mechanics got to enjoy a welcome slow season. 

Jess pulled a final car out of the garage, parking it in the lot with the rest of the vehicles waiting to be picked up. She smiled at the old Ford Falcon still sitting in the last bay, the paint chipped around the bumper. It was a really sweet car, she had to admit, but at 40 years old, Rey and Han would have their hands full fixing it up. 

Jess made her way into the office, waving at her co workers Snap and Kare as they left for the night. Han was sitting at his desk, riffling through some paperwork. He looked up as she walked in. 

“Hey,” she said, leaning against the door. Han’s dog Chewie trotted over to her, placing a paw on her leg. “We’re wrapping up out here, is there anything you need me to do before Poe and I leave?”

The older man shook his head, “Leia will kill me if I keep asking you guys to stay past close. Labor laws, or something.”

Jess smiled as he scoffed, knowing that Han’s wife was a stickler for the good treatment of their employees. She ruffled the fur on Chewie’s head.

“And thanks, Jess, for dealing with that woman earlier. Cheap. No one in this town wants to pay for anything.” 

Jess laughed at that, shaking her head. “I hope I didn’t over step, she was a real bitch.” 

Han shrugged, “You didn’t say anything I wouldn’t have said. Nice work.” 

Jess beamed at his praise, his approval always important to her. “Thanks, Han. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Poe was sitting on the desk, waiting for her. “Ready to go?” He grabbed her, ruffling the hair on top of her head, just as she had done to Chewie moments before. 

“Ow, why can’t you just be a normal person.” Jess whined as she pushed him away, grabbing her keys from the counter. 

“Just keeping life interesting, Testor,” Poe smiled, jumping down and following her out the front door. 

The went out to Jess’s car, happy to be free for the rest of the evening. Poe lived down the street from Jess, so they took turns driving to work every day, as it seemed silly to drive separately.

“Sooooo,” Poe sing songed as Jess started the ignition, “Can we talk about Han’s new found family member?”

Jess raised an eyebrow, turning towards him. “What about her?”

“She was hot.” Poe smirked. 

“Ah, jeez. Here we go.” 

“So was her friend.” He wiggled his brows at her, laughing as she rolled her eyes at them. 

“We don’t even know them Poe, and you’re already thinking of hooking up with them? Isn’t that like… predatory?” 

“No one said anything about hooking up with them!” He scoffed, crossing his arms.

“You implied it!”

“Well I certainly wouldn’t mind it.” He smiled at her again, enjoying her reaction to his words. “Tell me Rey wasn’t gorgeous.” 

Jess flushed slightly, failing to hide her smile. “Okay, yeah. She’s cute.” 

“Cute!?” Poe exclaimed, flailing comically. “Jessika even my gay ass knows that its practically indecent to refer to her as simply cute.” He was leaning towards her now, hot breath on the side of her neck. “Don’t you just wanna…” He stuck his tongue out, licking a trail all the way up to her ear. 

Jess screamed, shoving him away with her right arm. “Poe Dameron! I’m trying to drive here!” 

Poe made a face like he’d just eaten something gross. “Ew, you’re all sweaty.” 

“Well warn me next time you’re about to assault me, I’ll be sure to take a shower.” 

Jess stopped at Poe’s house, waving as he made his way out of the car and into his home. She chuckled to herself as she drove the rest of the way home, thinking about what her best friend had said. Sure, Rey and her friend were cute, but there was one thing in the way now. Han. If Rey was family, there’s no way he’d be cool with Jess treating her like a hook up. Not that Jess made a habit of treating people unfairly, but she knew Han. Behind his gruff and stoic exterior, he cared a lot about those around him, and Jess would have to let this one go. The last thing she’d ever want is to disappoint him. 

But damn is Poe right, Jess thought as she turned off the engine in her driveway. Rey is totally hot, and now that she’d be hanging around the shop until the Flacon was done, Jess was going to have to spend a lot of time pretending she didn’t notice.


	2. Girls Like Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chaper is pretty brief, but I wanted to give you another peak into this world because I love writing in it. THanks for all the fun feedback, the first chapter got way more interactions than I expected, thank you so much!

Rey

Rey hadn’t expected much from this trip, least of all the addition of an uncle, aunt, and cousin into her world. She was currently staring up at the ceiling in her room at Luke’s house, thinking about the night before. Han had invited them all over for dinner, even Finn had been dragged along. The Solo house was impressive, the old collections of car parts and antiques gave the home a really cool, lived in vibe. Rey got to meet her aunt Leia, who was amazingly kind, and hilariously apologetic about the old car she’d been given. Han and Leia had a son, Rey’s cousin, named Ben. He was incredibly tall, almost intimidatingly, and he didn’t speak much. Han explained that Ben worked at the shop, selling any cars they fix up and scouting for cool antiques at auctions. 

It was surreal, going from having zero family members to suddenly having four to call your own. Rey would be overwhelmed if Han, Leia, and Luke hadn’t all been so accommodating. After thanking Luke for the hundredth time before bed the night before, he’d firmly explained to her that she was family, and that treating her as anything but would be a disgrace. 

“I didn’t know you existed, Rey, and I’m so sorry. Your mother never told me about you, we lost touch. I just… I want to make up for lost time, if you’ll allow it.” Luke had hugged Rey before going to bed, tears in her eyes. She’d forgiven him before he’d even apologized. 

The morning sun was shining in from the window, the beams resting upon a sleeping Finn on the air mattress next to her. He looked peaceful, his face void of any stress of tension. Rey wondered if he dreamed of his parents, the ones he’d left behind in Arizona. They had never been good to Finn, never gave him the love he deserved. It broke Rey’s heart to think of her best friend living with them for so long. She hoped he felt like these people were his family now too. 

Finn began to shift, his eyes meeting Rey’s as if he’d felt her watching him. He smiled as he stretched, speaking through his yawn. “Good morning.” 

“Good morning, Finn,” Rey returned his smile, her head still resting on her pillow. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, this thing is pretty comfortable.” He nestled down further under his blanket, as if to prove the point. 

They could hear Luke downstairs in the kitchen, the clank of pots and pans alerting them of breakfast. 

Rey sat up, shaking her hair out of it’s messy braid. “Are you cool if we go back to the shop today? I’d really like to get working on the Falcon.” She was actually pretty handy with cars and enjoyed dabbling in mechanics, but she knew Han would be leaps and bounds more knowledgeable than her. 

Finn nodded, sitting up as well. “Oh I don’t mind going. Did you get a look at that guy named Poe? Because yes, please.” 

Rey laughed while rolling her eyes at her friend. “Okay, I literally just woke up and you’re already talking about guys. Give me like, a 30 minute window.” 

“Actually, it’d probably be safe to say you didn’t get a good look at Poe with the way you were ogling that other girl. What was her name?” 

“Her name was Jess,” Rey answered, her ears turning pink. “And I was not ogling! I was simply… appreciating.” 

“Appreciating is for art and scenery Rey, not for hot mechanic girls with really nice asses.” 

“’Really nice asses?’ I thought you were gay?” 

“Well that’s the thing about gay guys, we seem to really have a thing for butts, if you know what I mean.” 

Rey did in fact know what Finn meant, and she punctuated this by throwing her pillow full force in his direction. “I’ve had more than enough of this conversation, thank you.” 

Finn, once he’d settled down from laughing at his own joke, said “Hey, I’m just saying. We’re gonna be here all summer until you need to go back to school in the fall, so what’s the harm in little fun? You and I more than deserve that, seriously.” 

Rey thought for a moment, suddenly shy. “Finn, you know I’ve never… with a girl… and I mean, who knows if she’s even into women? Or into me, of all things.” She started to tug on the frayed edge of a blanket, insecure. 

“Rey.” Finn sat on the bed next to her, tucking his feet beneath him. “I spend most of our time together talking about how good looking you are, so if she’s not into you then she’s potentially blind. Second of all, she was reading that feminist book and she’s a mechanic… so, probably gay. Or at least bi.” 

The corner of Rey’s lips tugged into a smile. “I think you’re stereotyping, Finn.” 

“Well did it make you feel better?” Rey nodded. “Then it was worth it.” 

Rey sighed, “This is all speculation, anyways. We don’t even know these people.” 

Finn gave her a look, “ ‘kay but I do know that Poe is hot, and I’d like to hook up with him, so don’t be surprised if you get sexiled from your own bedroom at some point this summer.” 

Rey gasped, shoving him over. “You are not having sex in my dad’s house!” 

“I’m not not having sex in your dad’s house.” Finn laughed, tugging her down to lay on the bed with him. 

They stayed there comfortably for a moment, before Rey spoke up. “We should get dressed soon.” 

“Nah,” Finn answered, deadpan. “I’m showing up to that auto shop butt ass naked.”

 

Jess

 

Jess had been at work for only one hour of peace before Snap and Poe got into something they shouldn’t have. Being so close to the 4th of July, Han had purchased a box of fireworks for them but had attempted to hide them until an appropriate time. His hiding spot had been less then sufficient, considering Snap had paraded back from his bathroom break with a firework in his hand. 

“Just one, Pava. Just one!” He had insisted after she’d attempted to step in. It was never just one, with Snap. 

Luckily, Han and Leia’s car pulled into the drive almost immediately after Poe had lit the match, causing the boys to scramble and toss the firework at Jess, who then tossed it into the dumpster. 

“Stop being children!” Jess whispered harshly as Han walked into the door, Chewie at his heels. Jess smiled at him in greeting before turning back to the oil change she was working on. 

Han stopped to survey them for a moment, locking his eyes on Poe who seemed to be suspiciously earnest in his tire rotation. The older man walked up behind him, clasping a hand onto his shoulder. “Dameron.” 

“Sir!” Poe jumped out of his skin, turning to his boss. 

Han said nothing, but the look on his face told all. 

“I didn’t do anything! Swear!” 

Han shook his head, walking away. “Pava, keep these idiots in line.” 

“I do what I can, sir.” Jess laughed, taking a mental photograph of the look on Poe’s face. 

Jess leaned into her work for the rest of the day, taking her time with the few customers they had. Rey and Finn had shown up about an hour after Han, and Jess pretended not to stare as she observed them. Poe had claimed Finn’s attention, describing his every move to Finn who did a decent job at feigning interest in the work Poe was doing. Rey seemed as though she knew her way around a car, understanding the parts Han was referring to and grabbing tools without them being described to her. 

When she had a break in between jobs, Jess wandered over, pretending her burning interest was more of a casual one. She thought she saw Rey do a double take as she walked over, but didn’t want to be over optimistic. 

“What’s the verdict on her?” Jess asked as Rey stepped away from the vehicle, allowing Han to move it onto the lift. 

Rey pinked a little as she answered her (Jess was delighted), describing all of the things they’d need to fix on the Falcon. “All in all, it sounds like it’s going to be a couple weeks of hard labor.” Rey smiled shyly, rubbing her hands over her arms. 

Jess smiled, “Well, let me know if you need help. You’re in good hands with Han, but I’d be happy to offer any of my own expertise.” 

“Thanks, Jess. That’s really nice of you.” 

Han stepped out of the vehicle, nodding in Jess’s direction. “Am I paying you to fix the cars or am I paying you to flirt with the new kids?” 

It was Jess’s turn to blush as she nodded, turning on the spot to walk back to her spot. “You got it Han, sorry. But you may want to talk to Dameron, while you’re at it.” 

They heard a squeak from across the room, followed by “He’s helping!” No one was convinced. 

They worked in silence again for a while, Jess tuning out the world around her. Han, however, seemed to be having a harder time. 

“Someone change this music, I can’t stand the hippie shit.” 

“It’s ‘hipster’, Han.” Jess corrected. 

“Either way, it’s stupid.”

Jess giggled as she walked over to change the radio station, winking at Rey. The girl wrinkled her nose as she smiled, something that Jess thought might kill her on the spot. 

Poe coughed something that sounded a little too close to “lesbian” from a few feet away, but stopped as Jess sent him daggers with her eyes. If this was only day one of Finn and Rey hanging around the shop, it was indeed going to be a very long summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sexiled"; getting kicked out of your own room because your roommate is using it to have sex. Poor Rey.


	3. Just Friends

By the time the shop was closing down for the day, Rey’s hands were raw and her back was sore. She was absolutely thrilled. Han had show her the ins and outs (literally) of the repairs they needed to do and instead of feeling daunted, she was just happy to have a project on her hands. The atmosphere in the shop was also something new and fun; the witty banter between the employees kept her entertained, even if she could tell it annoyed her uncle most of the time. 

It didn’t hurt either that Finn seemed to be enjoying himself, despite his absolute lack of interest in mechanics (though Rey suspected his fun was all in the way Poe’s shirt kept creeping up his stomach when he leaned over, and not at all about the cars). She would be lying to herself if she denied that some of her own fun came from watching Jess work, the girl clearly skilled and dedicated to her job. They way Han reacted to Jess’s flirtations earlier made a very clear point though; even if Jess was as interested in Rey as she seemed, and even if Rey did admit to   
herself that she was into Jess, they couldn’t pursue anything. Rey would have to keep her feelings to herself, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends.

Just friends. 

She was leaning against the hood of Finn’s car, waiting for him to finish flirting with Poe before they could leave. The sun was still pretty high, and she was hoping to squeeze in a hike on the trails behind Luke’s house before it got dark. 

“Hey.” Rey was distracted from her thoughts as Jess came up to sit next to her on the hood, nodding towards their friends. “Those two move fast, no?”

Finn and Poe were smiling as they exchanged numbers into each other’s phones. Rey couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she assumed it was flirtatious. 

“For as long as I’ve known Finn, he’s never moved slow when it comes to guys.”

Jess chuckled, shaking her head. “Poe never has either. To be fair, the chances of finding a gay guy in rural Maine are pretty slim to none.” 

Rey, despite herself, asked, “What about gay women?”

“More common than you think.” 

Rey blushed, but before she could reply, Finn and Poe had walked over to them. 

“So we had an idea.” 

Both of the girls groaned, in unison. 

“It’s a good idea!” Poe feigned offense. 

Finn continued, “So Rey had wanted to go hiking tonight-” 

“And since Jess and I literally never have plans-” 

“I was thinking maybe they could come with us, Rey?” Finn finished with a raise of his eyebrows, a silent beg. 

Rey laughed at the two of them, already finishing each other’s sentences. “Sure, that sounds great! Do you want to come, Jess?”

“Oh she wants to come alright-”

Jess cut Poe off with a hand over his mouth, swiftly ending his comment. “That sounds great!” 

Rey hoped she wasn’t blushing at the implication of Poe’s words, because she really didn’t think she could handle the idea of Jess… Oh, man. 

“I’d really like to change out of these mechanic jumpsuits though, if that’s cool? Give me your dad’s address, we can meet you there in a bit.” Jess shot Poe another look before pulling out her phone, taking the address down. 

Once Rey and Finn had gotten into their car, Rey leaned back into her seat, sighing so deeply she felt her soul leave her body. 

Finn chuckled, turning the key in the ignition. “You got something to say, Rey?” 

“I think this girl might kill me, Finn.”

“Oh? I hadn’t noticed.”

“But like… I can’t do anything about it, right? She’s Han’s employee. Isn’t that crossing some kind of line?”

“Well consider this; maybe you could actually ask Han?”

Rey paused for a moment, giving him a look. “Well that sounds mortifying.” 

“Okay fine, don’t ask him. Just pine away, my little pine tree.”

Rey frowned at him. “I hate you.” 

Finn squeezed her thigh with his right hand, shaking his head. “You keep telling yourself that.”

 

Jess

 

“Hey do you think that maybe for ONE day in our lives, you could act like a normal person?” Jess was all but screeching at Poe as he pulled out of her driveway on the way to Luke’s house.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jessika.” 

“’Oh, she wants to come alright’ are you KIDDING me? I almost died!”

Poe was laughing, unapologetic in every way. “Listen, Jess. You clearly have a thing for her, she probably has a thing for you. I’m not seeing what the big deal is.” 

“The big deal Poe, is that the man that signs my paycheck also happens to be Rey’s uncle.” 

“So?”

“SO, he probably would have an issue with me pursuing any kind of relationship with his niece. He even said something today about it. I just… don’t think it’s a good idea.” Jess popped her feet onto the dash, frowning. 

“Hey, it’s up to you. But I’ll censor myself from now on, if it’ll make you feel better.” 

“You swear?”

“I’ll try my best.” He smirked at his friend as she rolled her eyes. 

They arrived at Luke’s house a few minutes later (nothing in this town was all that far away), driving past a few rows of cows as they pulled in. Jess immediately trotted down to the fence after they’d parked, reaching out to pat one on it’s sweet brown face. The cow nibbled at her fingers and she laughed, stroking it’s velvet nose. Rey and Finn walked out of the house, joining them by the pen. 

“Aren’t they cute?” Rey squealed, standing next to Jess. “This one’s my favorite, I’ve decided to call her Muffin.” 

Jess giggled, looking up at her. “Why Muffin?”

“Not sure,” Rey smiled, wrinkling her nose. “I just think it suits her.” 

Jess stepped down from the fence, turning to Finn. “So do you guys know where we’re hiking?”

Finn nodded, gesturing for them to follow. “We found these trails behind the house. I think they go pretty far, if you’re up for it.”

“Adventure time!” Poe shouted, practically skipping off. 

Rey and Jess let the boys take the lead as they entered the woods, falling behind at a comfortable place. It was a beautiful evening, the sun warm but no longer hot. The green canopy above them swayed softly with the breeze. It was incredibly peaceful. The girls walked in silence for a little bit, before Jess spoke up. 

“So Rey, we’ve known each other for just over 24 hours now, which means I know pretty much nothing about you.” 

Rey giggled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well what do you want to know?”

Jess thought for a moment. What did she want to know? “Um… let’s start with the easy stuff. Where are you from? What brings you here?” 

“Actually, I’m not so sure that’s the easy stuff. I’m from Arizona, I lived there with my mom. She passed away when I was seven and after that I lived in a foster home. Once I graduated high school I started looking for Luke, who until recently I hadn’t known existed. And here we are.”

“Huh,” Jess didn’t know what to say as she was unable to relate to someone that had grown up in foster care. “I’m really sorry about your mom, but I’m glad you found Luke. He’s a really cool guy.”

“Yeah,” Rey smiled. “He’s been amazing to me, Finn too.”

“What’s Finn’s story?” 

Rey’s face darkened, making Jess wonder whether she should have asked. “His parents are abusive. He came with me to get away from them. I don’t blame him.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize.”

“You wouldn’t, not until you get to know him. He’s such a great guy, Finn. He just doesn’t think so because he’s been told for so long that he isn’t.”

“You’re a good friend then Rey, letting him come with you all the way to Maine.”

Rey smiled again, “I think we needed each other, really. Finn is my rock.”

Jess mirrored her smile, “Well it’s great that you have each other. I know it seems that Poe and I pick on each other more than anything, but we’re the same way. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“How did you two meet?” 

“High school,” Jess nodded. “Poe was two grades above me. I’ve always been told I’m mature for my age and Poe is well… Himself.” She looked ahead at the boys in front of her, Poe openly laughing at whatever Finn was saying. “We met in shop class, which I suppose is fitting.” 

“Do you enjoy working together?” 

Jess beamed, thinking about their relationship. “I love it. I love working for Han too, he’s the coolest, once you get to know him. No fuss.”

Rey laughed, “I can see that. He’s been really great to Finn and I, even though we’re practically strangers.”

Jess shrugged, “That’s just how he is. Han sees a problem, he fixes it. In this case, literally. Poe started working there before I did, that’s how I got the job. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life once I’d graduated high school and I didn’t want to go far.” 

“Why not?” 

“My mom. She works in hotel management so she travels all the time. I think it helps her to have someone around when she comes home.” 

Rey made an “o” shape with her mouth in understanding. She seemed as though she was about to ask another question when something on the path caught her eye. Rey squealed, the sudden shift in energy catching Jess off guard. 

“Jess look!” Rey jumped forward a step, bending down onto her knees. “There’s a little snail! Look how tiny!”

Jess smiled as she leaned down, taking a peak at the small creature. Rey had scooped it into her hands, looking at it from all angles. 

“Aren’t they so sweet? They make their own shells, did you know that?” Rey was staring intently at the little creature, her nose crinkled a bit with excitement. Jess found herself looking right over the snail at the girl holding it, the delight on her face more endearing than anything Jess had experienced thus far. 

Rey looked up, calling out to her friend. “Finn! I’ve found a snail!” She stood, running to catch up to them with the snail cupped into her palms.   
Jess giggled as she caught up with her friends, watching as both Finn and Poe humored Rey’s excitement. 

“You’re not keeping him, right?” Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, of course not.” Rey bent down into the grass on the side of the path, “He has a home. Here you go, little dude.” 

They enjoyed the rest of their hike in easy conversation. Jess, the more she got to speak with Finn, decided that she really liked him. He was funny and charming, and he had a way of conversing that made you feel like you were the only person in the world. No wonder Poe was so immediately smitten. 

They turned around once it was starting to get dark and naturally Jess fell into rhythm beside Poe, Rey and Finn just slightly ahead. 

“I really like these guys.” Poe admitted, smiling as Rey jumped onto Finn’s back for a lift. 

“They’re kind of awesome,” Jess admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “We could definitely keep them around.”

“So you and Rey..?” Poe smirked, but hushed his voice so no one else would hear. 

“Just friends, Poe.” Jess shot him a look, warning him not to press the issue. The truth was that she really did want to be friends with Rey. The girl was just so sweet, so lively, not to mention gorgeous, that it made Jess want to be more, and that was the problem. 

For as much as Jess wanted to respect Han, Jess also had a big, giant crush on his niece. The niece with the infectious laugh, the niece with the giant brown eyes, the niece that picked up stray creatures off the ground, just like Jess always used to. Jessika Pava was totally fucked on this one, and the way Rey kept turning around to smile at her made it even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Pine away, my little pine tree" 
> 
> This is the last introductory sort of chapter, things will get moving along soon! Thanks for reading, I adore you <3


	4. Freeze Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't. stop. writing. This story and this workd is so fun to write in! Also thanks for all the fun comments, they literally make my day <3

Rey

Rey and Finn had only just walked through the door and all hell had already broken loose at Solo’s Sales and Mechanics. Despite there only being three minutes to open hours, Poe and Snap were dancing in the lobby to some kind of Latin flared pop music as Chewie jumped and barked around their feet. 

Jessika was behind the register, counting cash to balance the drawer for the day. “You guys, do we really have to listen to Justin Bieber at 8 o’clock in the morning?” 

“You’re lying to yourself if you say this song isn’t the tits, Jess.” Poe scampered over to Finn, pulling him to the center of the room to dance. 

Rey tried to flee before Snap could catch her, but he caught her by the wrists and held her close. She laughed as he attempted to sing along to the rapid Spanish. 

Han came out of the office a minute later, turning down the volume dial on the wall. “You lot have been here for five minutes and I’m already annoyed with all of you. Except Jess.” He disappeared again behind the wall without another word. 

Jess made a face at them as Poe balked, dramatically throwing a hand across his chest. “I’m positively suffering under these work conditions.” He huffed, throwing himself across the front desk. “Who do I call about this? Is there a mechanic’s union?” 

“No,” Jess deadpanned as he tumbled forward onto the floor next to her. “But there is an unemployment office.” 

They all stood up straight as the door bell clanged, an older woman walking in. Back to business as usual. Rey walked into the office to see where Han wanted her for the day, bending down to rub Chewie’s fluffy belly. 

Han looked up at her over his computer monitor, “Hey. Do you maybe want to fly solo today? Pardon the pun.” She smiled at him. “Today’s the last day before we shut down for a week. Summer vacation, or whatever Leia calls it. I’ve got some office shit to take care of.” 

“Oh? I can handle it fine, but you’ll be here in case I have a question, right?” 

He nodded, “One of the idiots out there might be able to help you, but I think it’s safe to say they’ve all but checked out already.” 

Snap ran by the office window at that moment, a tarp tied around his shoulders like a super hero cape. 

Rey laughed, turning to Han. “Safe to say. I’ll try to help Jess keep them in line.” 

She left the office as Han mumbled something about how he should’ve “hired more women”, closing the door behind her. Jess was still at the desk when Rey walked by, writing something on her clip board. 

“Good morning, Jess.” Rey greeted, on her way to the shop door. She paused to catch Jess’s response (a mumbled “hey”), turning away in defeat. Ever since their hike a week ago, Jess had gone from totally awesome to totally distant. Rey had wracked her brain trying to remember their conversation, wondering if she’d overstepped by asking about Jess’s mom. Whatever happened, it had made Jess clam up, and it was seriously hurting Rey’s feelings. 

In the shop, Snap and Kare were poking around some lady’s BMW, laughing at each other. Poe and Finn were sat atop the hood of the Falcon, talking. They smiled up at Rey as she approached them. 

“Do you want a mechanic buddy today? Han always spends the last day before vacation holed up in the office, and we’re notoriously slow for business this time of year. If you’ll have me, my darling, I’m at your beck and call.” Poe bowed as best he could from a sitting position, pulling Rey out of her mood to make her laugh. 

“I’d love some help, if you’re not busy.” 

They spent most of the day tinkering with the Falcon and teaching Finn the ins and outs of a car. This mostly turned into a game of “Which tool? This one?” “No, that one.” “Which one?” “The one I’m pointing to!” Rey could tell that Poe found it endearing all the same. Eventually, they fell into casual conversation. 

“So Rey,” Poe smirked up at Finn as he handed him a wrench. “What’s up with you and Jess?” 

Rey blushed, hoping her surprised expression wouldn’t give her away. Finn snickered. “You mean, the ice princess?” She spoke low at the end of her sentence, not wanting anyone else to hear.

Poe shrugged, wiping at something in the engine with a rag. “She’s not that bad. Not usually.” 

“Well she’s been really weird all week,” Rey huffed. “Did I do something wrong?” 

Poe looked at her for a moment, a slow smile spreading onto his face. “Oh, honey.” 

Rey looked between Finn and Poe, as if they knew something she didn’t. “What are you trying to say, Poe?”

“Rey, she likes you,” He emphasized likes with a dramatic raise of his eyebrows. “Like… Likes you, likes you.” 

“This all seems very middle school,” Finn laughed, punching Poe softly on the shoulder. 

Poe looked at him for a moment, cheeks burning. “What I mean is that when Jess likes someone but doesn’t want to do anything about it, she gets all weird and distant. Then she gets crabby because she can’t get laid, and then she’s my problem.” 

“So you’re saying Jess has been blowing me off all week because she’s into me?” 

Poe nodded, puffing air out of his cheeks. “This is like, textbook Jess Pava.” 

“Say ‘like’ one more time, Poe.” Finn teased, the word becoming silly with repetition. 

“Okay, I really like you, Finn.” Both men leaned forward and kissed each other, smiling as they pulled away. 

“See Rey, it’s not that hard.” Finn grinned at her wickedly. 

She rolled her eyes, pouting a bit. “Maybe not for you guys. This is clearly becoming a situation.” 

Jess walked into the shop just then, and Rey watched her as she walked over to Snap. Whatever the girl had said to him made him bear hug her, lifting Jess straight off the ground. She swatted at him, a couple choice words loud enough to reach Rey’s ears from across the room. 

Rey didn’t notice she was staring until Jess started making her way towards their trio, and Finn grabbed her chin to make her look at him. “Maybe act natural, huh?” 

“Hey Testor,” Poe greeted his best friend as she joined them, wiping his hands on the rag tucked into his belt. 

Jess shifted awkwardly in her spot, avoiding eye contact with Rey. “Han’s getting us pizza for lunch. Celebratory food for making it through the last day before break. Do you guys want anything specific?”

Rey shook her head, but took the opportunity to maybe get some alone time with Jess. “Do you want someone to come with you to pick it up? I’ve got a second.”

“Um,” Jess shuffled, “No, I’ve got it. I’ll be back soon.” Jess turned and walked away. It was the silence that followed that stung Rey the most. 

Poe whistled, low and dramatic. “Okay, ouch.” 

“See?” Rey attempted to control her voice as to avoid sounding shrill, but barely succeeded. 

“Yeah that sucks,” Finn nodded, placing a hand on Rey’s shoulder. “My condolences.”

Poe placed a hand on her other shoulder, speaking with his tone more serious than she had yet to see him. “Honestly, Rey, if you’re seriously into Jess, you should talk to her. She may seem like a bitch, I mean, she’s not being great right now, but Jess is awesome. Really. She’s my best friend on this entire planet, I wouldn’t be telling you that if I believed otherwise.” 

“Poe, I know you mean well, I just… I think we should drop this, okay?” Rey huffed, turning back to the car in front of her. 

“Alright.” Poe leaned in front of her, making sure to catch her eye. “Just consider it.” 

Rey nodded, waving him and Finn away. She wanted some time to think about this, and admittedly, she was feeling pretty stung. Poe didn’t have to explicitly tell Rey how great Jess was because she could tell. Jess was smart, witty, headstrong, independent… Rey could go on forever. But apparently, masochism was a new hobby of hers, so she wallowed in self pity for the next couple hours instead of making a plan to get Jess to talk to her again. 

 

Jess

 

Jess pulled out of the parking lot to Solo’s with a heavy sigh. It was one thing to avoid Rey completely, it was another thing to deal with the consequences of deliberately hurting her feelings. The look on Rey’s face after Jess had shot her down literally felt like a punch in the gut. Actually, Jess wished someone would go ahead and punch her in the gut, she’s pretty sure she deserved that right about now. 

Truthfully, ignoring Rey was probably not the most mature way to handle their situation. Realistically, Jess was pretty head over heels for Rey. Having worked for Han for five years now though, Jess knew better than to pursue any kind of intershop relationship, especially with his niece. 

But now Jess looked like a mega bitch and she felt really guilty about it. 

Her one solace was going to come in the form of summer vacation, and the thought eased her pain, if only slightly. Her mom had a house on Lake Minntooine, about an hour’s drive from home. Every year around the fourth of July, Poe, Snap, Jess, and Kare would pack up and go for a week, days full of swimming, campfires, and alcohol. Jess couldn’t be more excited to get out of town.

The best part about it all is that she would have 7 days where she didn’t have to worry about hurting Rey, because she would be safely an hour away from Jess. 

Or so she thought. 

Jess returned to the shop, pizza in tow, which is when Poe was smart enough to corner her with her hands full. 

He had been sitting on the front desk, talking to Finn and Rey, when Jess walked into the conversation. 

“What’s that lake we go to, Jess? Mantooine?”

“Minntooine, Poe.”

“Right.” He turned to Finn and Rey as Jess put the pizza down on the desk. “It’s so rad you guys, there’s a dock that goes right to the water, and there’s a huge porch on the back of the house. You should totally see it. Wait! Jess.”

“Mm?” 

“Can they come with us?”

Jess looked up at him then, wondering what the odds were that he would spontaneously catch on fire. 

“We have enough space, right?” 

“Uh,” Jess was thrown off, wondering how to escape the situation without making herself look like a miserable bitch. “Yeah, we’ve got room.” 

Fuck. 

Poe smiled at her in his own special way, and she knew that he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. He winked at her, opening the lid to the pizza box and grabbing a slice. “So you guys can come over to Jess’s house tonight, we leave tomorrow morning.” 

Jess gathered herself and made eye contact with Finn, because Rey was too hard to look at in this moment and Jess was wondering if she may be the one to spontaneously combust. “Yeah, we’ll have food and drinks, but bring towels, clothes, you know. Summer stuff.”

“You sure you’re cool with this, Jess?” Finn asked, grabbing a slice of his own. “You seem… off.” 

Jess stood straighter, running a hand through her hair. “I’m fine, just having a day.” She turned and walked into the office, planning to hide in Han’s presence instead of continuing to make a fool out of herself. 

The ride home was once again Jess berating Poe, feeling a little bad that her attitude had caused all of this. 

“Jess, for real, lighten up. You’re wound so tightly your pretty little head is going to pop right off your shoulders.” 

“I’m just… a mess.” Jess admitted, laughing at herself. “I’ve been acting like a total douche all week, but now I’m so far in I don’t even know how to apologize.” 

“Well thanks to me, now you have a week of uninterrupted time to do so.” Poe beamed, patting himself on the back, literally. 

“Wow, thanks buddy.” Jess’s tone very much implied that she didn’t mean it. 

Poe dropped her off at her house with the promise of returning with Bee, his little Corgi dog. The little girl was sweet and always a bunch of fun at the lake house. 

Jess walked into her empty home, tossing her bag on the counter in the kitchen and running upstairs to take a shower. Her mom wasn’t home, unsurprisingly, but she was relieved that there would be no forced introductions to her mom tonight. The excitement of her vacation had certainly improved her mood and she’d like to keep it that way.

Jess had dried off and put clothes on just as there was a knock on the door. After shuffling down the stairs, past Poe (who was already on the couch and must have let himself in), Jess yelled out for whomever was at the door to just let themselves in as she walked into the kitchen. 

“Hey guys!” Finn and Rey came into view around the corner, causing Bee to jump off the couch with a bark to meet her knew friends. 

“Oh my goodness!” Rey practically had hearts in her eyes as she bent down to pet the little dog. “Jess I didn’t know you had a dog!”

“She’s mine, actually,” Poe answered, taking every opportunity to brag about his adorable pet. “Her name is Bee.”

“Bee! I love you.” Rey hugged her, playing with her giant ears. 

The four of them settled in for the night, ordering dinner from the Indian place in town. Rey had picked a movie for them to watch as Jess separated food onto plates. 

“Evil Dead? Really?” Jess laughed dryly as she handed Poe a plate, sitting on the floor beneath his spot on the couch. She pretended not to notice Rey look at the expansive amount of room next to her, a sign that Jess had very intentionally avoided sitting next to her. 

“I thought it was fitting.” Rey said, quietly. “You know, cabin in the woods, summer time.” She shrugged. 

Jess suddenly felt bad (for the 100th time that day), because really, she probably would have picked the same thing. It was fitting. 

They all fell into silence as they ate and got into the movie. They were about halfway through when Jess felt Poe and Finn inching towards each other, and decided she needed a break from all of the tension in the room. 

“I’m gonna go outside,” She announced, slipping out onto the back porch through the sliding glass door. Jess grabbed a hidden pack of cigarettes from under the railing, sitting on the steps so she could look up at the stars. 

She lit a cigarette, inhaling slowly. Her lungs filled with a comforting pressure as she felt her tension dissipate, billowing the smoke out in front of her once she’d had enough. Jess knew smoking was dumb and didn’t make a habit of it, but it was her favorite way to handle a particularly bad mood. The stars were doing a fabulous job of helping, too. The night was calm, the only noise the consistent buzz of insects in the yard.

Jess was able to enjoy a silent few minutes to herself before the screen door slid open. Finn walked out onto the porch, sitting down onto the steps beside her. 

“Poe knew you’d be smoking.” 

Jess let out a small laugh, “Poe knows me very well.” 

They were quiet for a moment, the silence was heavy, but not awkward. 

“So you’re a smoker?” 

“No,” Jess replied as she lit another one, handing it to Finn. “You?”

“No,” He accepted it, taking a drag before speaking again. “You know, you’re hurting my friend's feelings in there.” 

Jess’s heart sunk, and she looked down at her feet. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t think I’m the one that apology belongs to.” Finn wasn’t angry with her, but his tone indicated that he was very protective of Rey. 

“I’ve got a lot of shit I need to work out right now, I know that.” Jess ran a hand through her hair. “But… I like Rey. I like Rey a lot, Finn.” 

He smiled, resting a hand on her knee. “We can pretty much all tell that.”

“Even Rey?” Jess heart skipped a beat, mortified. 

“No,” Finn shook his head, blowing smoke out of the side of his mouth. “She’s pretty convinced that you think she’s the scum of the Earth.” 

Jess could have cried. “I think the exact opposite of that! Jesus.” She closed her eyes, taking a breath. “Rey is… something else. Rey is worth more than the words in my pea brain could ever string together.” 

Finn chuckled at that, “Well listen, I don’t think Poe or I can handle anymore of this sad puppy thing you guys are milking for all it’s worth. Talk to her about this or don’t. but please Jess, be nice to her.” 

Jess didn’t answer right away, a warmth for him filling her chest. Finn really cared for Rey, as she deserved. Jess ogled him for a second, the way his dark skin reflected the moonlight, making him look more ethereal than anything. Finn was really something else.

She nodded, finally, knowing he was right. For all of the things in the world that Rey deserved, Jess knew her attitude wasn’t one of them. She would change her behavior because for Rey, she would do just about anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh now I have to immediately write the next chapter because I can't handle sad Rey for an extended period of time.


	5. the Lakehouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote part of this chapter while I should have been packing, another part of it in an airport, and finished it now, in the middle of the night, because I'm in love with these god damn characters. Share my pain.

“Rey. Rey!” Rey awoke with a start that morning, Poe straddling her entire body, his face too close to hers. 

“Jesus, Poe!” 

“Good morning, sunshine!” He hopped off of her, onto the floor. “Sleep well?”

“I was sleeping just fine before you scared the life out of me.” Rey sat up, yawning and stretching her arms. 

“I’m sorry Rey, I swear I told him not to wake you.” Finn was sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee, a less than apologetic look on his face. 

“Right, I’m sure.” Rey walked over to him, stealing his cup and drinking from it. 

Jess came downstairs just then in shorts and a tank top, her hair ruffled from sleep. She looked at the crew in the kitchen and smiled. “I see Poe woke you up, Rey?” 

Poe huffed, opening the refrigerator door. “What was I supposed to let her do, sleep for the entire day?” 

Rey was happy for Jess’s acknowledgement of her, a welcome change from the day before. Finn had been notably absent in the middle of watching the movie, as had Jess, so Rey suspected her friend had exchanged a few words with her dark haired crush. She’d have to thank him later.

“If you guys are cool with it, I’d like to try to leave here ASAP,” Jess grabbed the coffee cup from Rey, winking as she took a swig. “Oh and Poe, don’t eat that.”

“Oh my god, leave me alone!” Poe exclaimed as he put the ice cream back in the freezer. “How did you even know I had it?”

“I know you very, very well. Unfortunately.” Jess smirked, poking his ribs. 

“Everyone here is mean.” Poe pouted, turning away from her. “Help me shower, Finn?” 

The other man smiled, grabbing Poe’s hand as he walked past. “Save water, shower together!” The two boys tripped over each other as they raced up the stairs, giggling the entire way. 

“Don’t take too long!” Jess hollered after them. 

Rey and Jess were left then in silence, it’s weight heavy across the house. The buzzing from insects outside was loud enough to infiltrate their silence, the heavy noises of summer filling the space. After the last week, Rey was still weary of Jess, unsure what would set off another mood. If Poe had been right in saying that Jess was acting that way because she liked Rey, well then what did it mean when Jess was talking to her? 

Jess was the first to break the silence, placing the coffee cup down and sliding it across the counter to Rey. “Sorry, I stole this from you.”

“Actually, I stole it from Finn first. No worries.” Rey smiled a little, an awkward tension still in the air. 

Jess stared at her for a moment as if trying to find the right words to say, and when she did speak, it was carefully. “I owe you another apology, Rey.”

“Oh?” Rey slid the coffee cup back across the counter.

“Don’t be coy.” Jess smirked as she picked it up and braced herself with a sip. “I’ve been awful this week. Awful, mean, rude… bitchy.” 

Rey grinned, “You have a way with words, Jess.” 

“I mean it, this isn’t a joke. I’ve got some things I need to work through, Rey, and I took them out on you. That’s not fair.” 

Rey stopped smiling, running a hand through her hair. “You didn’t take anything out on me, Jess. I mean I certainly noticed an… attitude. But, to be fair, we’ve only known each other for what, 10 days? It’s not as though your every move needed to cater to me.” 

It was Jess’s turn to smile. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I think I might have catered my every move a little too closely to you.” 

Rey tilted her head, confused. The fuzziness of sleep was still very much present in her mind and the sun coming in from the window to warm her made the interaction feel even more like a dream. 

“I think I like you, Rey. No, I know I like you, but I’m a child, and I didn’t know how to handle it. So instead of just talking to you, like this, I ignored you. And I hurt your feelings.” Jess slid the coffee cup across the counter a final time. “Forgive me?” 

Rey blushed behind the cup as she took a sip from it. “All is forgiven.” She smiled at Jess, butterflies filling her stomach. A voice in her brain was screaming for her to say the same, to grab Jess and kiss her as if she were sick and Jess was the cure. 

Instead, Rey placed the coffee cup in the sink and traipsed up the dark wooden stairs, leaving Jess behind to wonder if her feelings hadn’t been reciprocated after all. 

The four of them packed into the car a little while later, Jess and Poe in the front, Finn and Rey in the back with Bee in between them. Rey had noticed something as she climbed in, and took the opportunity to call her friends out on it. 

“Do you guys have matching cars?” 

The two of them laughed, nodding their heads. 

“They were a gift from Han,” Jess explained from the driver’s seat. “Nissan 300ZX. He bought them off an auction a couple years ago. Let’s just say they were pretty worse for wear when they arrived.” 

Poe beamed at her from the passenger seat, “We spent a couple months fixing them up, so now they’re glorious.” 

“Poe picked out the orange color and insisted that we match.” Jess said, patting Poe on the shoulder. 

“Not insisted… Strongly suggested.” 

“Insisted.” 

Jess’s license plate said “Testor”, and Rey made a mental note to ask her the story behind that later. Finn and Poe had already launched into a competitive game of iSpy, which admittedly is less than entertaining while driving through rural Maine, which is nothing but rolling hills, green trees, and the occasional dairy cow.   
Rey looked out the window and let her mind wander back to the conversation in the kitchen with Jess. There were now officially no doubts about whether or not Jess’s crush was fact or fiction. Rey had heard the words straight from the girl’s mouth. Less fortunately, Rey had been so shy about the confession that she hadn’t said anything in response, instead turning and leaving the room. Did she like Jess? Absolutely, that was a strong affirmative. 

Still, there was a pit in her stomach like she’d eaten a bad piece of fruit, wound too tight for her to be excited about Jess’s confession. Rey knew herself better than anyone though, except maybe for Finn, and if she were to talk to him about this he would tell her she was scared. The sad part though is that he’d be right, and he’d smile at her in that way he does when they talk about how Rey has always been her own biggest obstacle, like when their high school held try outs for the swim team and she’d been too shy to go for it. 

The difference now was that Jess wasn’t just a swim team, Jess was important. Jess made Rey’s heart flutter in a way that was uncomfortable but still nice. Jess’s presence made Rey’s hands tremble until she couldn’t use them anymore, for they’d become a hindrance. Maybe if Rey believed in love at first sight she’d call it that, but her brain was occasionally far too logical for things that only seemed to happen in fairy tales. 

Rey watched Jess in the seat in front of her, the way she beamed at Poe with adoration, the way she let her arm hang out the open window to catch the sun, even on the highway, and how sometimes when she laughed it was a little too loud, earnest to let the joker know they were funny. Rey concluded, as she watched the pretty girl in front of her with the long black hair, that sometimes you just have to let yourself fall. 

 

Jess

 

The tires of her bright orange vehicle caused it’s passengers to jolt around as they pulled up the gravel drive to the old log cabin house. It was always how Jess remembered it, dark old wood with shiny windows and a porch that wrapped the entire way around as thought it were giving the house a hug. Jess had spent so many summers as a kid running laps on that very porch, not even minding when the wood stung her feet with splinters, ignoring her mother’s insistence for the millionth time that she should be wearing shoes. But shoes, Jess would still insist, are not for summer time, and she flung her own off the moment she stepped out of her car, despite being 23 and knowing better.

In the backyard, the old dock could be seen bobbing along the lake water, which was surprisingly choppy for the clear weather they were having. The distant noise of a speeder boat was more than likely the culprit, Jess thought, as little waves broke on their sandy back yard beach. 

A cheerful bellow rang out around them as Poe ran past the house and down to the lake, looking over his shoulder with a cheerful, “Race you!” in Finn’s direction. The two boys ran through the grass, tossing articles of clothing carelessly to the wayside as their feet carried them to the shore, followed by Bee. There was a screech and a splash, wet and careless, as Poe stopped short and Finn shoved him over the side of the dock into the lake. 

Poe emerged a moment later, sputtering like a wet dog, as Finn cackled above him, Bee barking like a maniac at the two of them. 

“Hey, you won!” Finn laughed before jumping into the water, rays of sunlight glittering on the surface of the lake. 

There was a sprinkling of laughter behind Jess as Rey walked up behind her, her smile somehow brighter than the sun that was making Jess squint her eyes. There was a quiet tension between the two women, not like before, but one full of unspoken confessions. Jess was sure that morning, when she finally admitted her feelings for Rey, that Rey would have felt the same; but instead of a heartfelt agreement, Jess had simply found herself standing alone in the kitchen without even a cup of coffee to keep her company. 

Swallowing her pride, Jess motioned towards the house, making a grand sweeping motion with her arms. “Welcome to my own personal paradise, Rey.” 

“It’s beautiful.” Rey nodded, and Jess couldn’t help but agree with her (whether she’s referencing the house or the girl, Jess will never tell). “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole world.” 

Jess was almost taken aback at the comment, fully understanding for the first time in a while how lucky she was to inhabit the beautiful state of Maine. Even if the summers did get hot sometimes and the winters were extreme enough to freeze the pipes in her mom’s house, Jess was spoiled to live in a place so full of life and color. 

Surprising herself, she grabbed Rey’s hand. “C’mon. I’ll show you how cool it is on the inside too. We’ll make the boys unload the car later.” Jess winked at Rey, considering it a victory when the tips of her ears flushed pink. 

Jess led Rey up the porch stairs, noting the one that squeaked (and had done so since the house was built), and reaching up to grab the hidden key off of the weathered doorframe, just a touch past where her fingertips could reach. After a moment of struggle, Rey reached up above her, successfully grasping the old silver key, smirking down at Jess as she did so. 

“Is this what you were looking for?” Rey smirked, her dimples becoming prominent, like thumbprints in pizza dough. 

Jess grabbed the key from her, making sure to brush their fingers together, despite the way skin to skin contact made all of the blood rush to her head. “You’re only an inch taller, don’t get cocky.” 

She didn’t wait for Rey to answer before unlocking the door to swing inside, inhaling as though this were her first breath of air in years. The air in the cabin smelled heavy with age, musty and wooden in the best way. If Jess closed her eyes, she could smell every memory her and her family had made in that place, as if being there granted her the ability to time travel. 

“Wow,” Rey whispered, walking forward to rest her hands on the back of the couch. 

“This is the living room,” Jess gestured to the walls around them, the floor a deep oak, a color that spread all the way up into the vaulted ceiling. A fan had turned on as they’d walked in, a soft ticking noise keeping the room from becoming too silent, even once conversation had ended. The open floor plan of the house led the living room right into the kitchen, a large island creating a separation between the two areas. The tall stools pushed up to the counter top reminded Jess of every breakfast she’d eaten in those chairs, and in fact, she’d be willing to bet that some of them still had maple syrup dripped down the side of them. 

“Bedrooms are this way,” Jess let Rey follow her to the left of the house, down a tiny junction of two bedrooms and a bathroom. They were all small and simple, but warm in the way any vacation room should be. 

To the right of the bathroom was a narrow flight of wooden stairs, the walls on the way up covered in photos Jess had forgotten were there. “This is my favorite part of the house, come see.”   
She tried to take the stairs quickly, wishing particularly hard that Rey wouldn’t notice the picture of her at six years old wearing a too big t-shirt, smiling without front teeth, an ice cream cone melting down her arms. Rey’s eyes certainly lingered over the pictures, but she did nothing but smile and climb the rest of the stairs with her bare feet. 

The old loft seemed to get smaller every time Jess visited, the height that comes with age dwarfing her hideaway into a ghost of it’s former self, but the memories remained. There were two twin beds pressed against opposite walls, almost comically small in the space. 

“I usually push those two beds together to make a super bed, but since there are four of us this time around we might have to keep them separate. There are two queens in those rooms downstairs. Snap is driving up his old RV, so he and Kare will stay outside.” 

Rey was smirking at Jess in a way that made it impossible for Jess not to smile back. “Speaking of queens, you don’t think Finn and Poe will want to share a bed?”  
Jess barked with laughter, caught off guard by the joke. “Touché. I guess we’ll have to run that by them before I make myself at home.” She tousled her dark hair, trying to avoid thinking about sharing a bed with Rey. “Here, want to see something cool?” 

Jess bent down and unlocked one of the windows on the right side of the room, pushing it open until it created a little door out onto the roof. She tucked her limbs in and climbed through, poking her head back into the room as she climbed outside. “Hope you’re not afraid of heights?”

Rey shook her head and smiled as she followed Jess, who watched as the other girl took in the view that was available to them from this high up. “Holy shit Jess, this is cool.”

Their little balcony was closed off by a guard rail, a fixture that had become a necessity once Jess had gotten old enough to climb out onto the roof without her mom. From here, the view was particularly incredible, waving trees and glistening lake water for as far as the eye could see. They had a better view of the boys from up here, the two of them still splashing around in the water. 

“I spent a lot of time up here as a kid. As an adolescent too, if we’re being honest. This place is where I learned to love to read, anything from R.L. Stein to Maya Angelou. Sometimes I’d be up here for so long my mom would forget and think I’d gone missing.” Jess smiled at the memory, running her fingertips along the railing. “I used to sit here until it was too dark to see the words on the page anymore and the mosquitos would start to chew on my ankles.”

Rey was looking at her as though she belonged in a dream, caught up in someone else’s nostalgia. “I wish I’d somewhere like this as a kid. Maybe I would have read more.” 

Jess grinned at her, “Not a reader? No offense, babe, but that might be a deal breaker.”

Rey shook her head, wrinkling her nose in the way that sent Jess reeling. If Jess’s use of the word ‘babe’ had made an effect on Rey, she didn’t show it. “Movies are my thing, actually. Not just the pretentious ones, I could definitely watch a good romcom.”

Jess laughed, “What about some John Hughes?”

“I’m always a slut for good 80s movies.” Rey followed her laughter, using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun. 

“Alright, duly noted. This could work out.” Jess winked at her, turning as she heard another vehicle pull into the driveway. “Snap is here! Let’s go down and meet them.”

Jess let Rey climb through the window first (totally not to get a view of Rey’s ass, she swears), and the two of them made a beeline down the stairs to meet their friends in the yard. She wasn’t sure really why she was still so confidently hitting on Rey, but she’d made it her personal mission to crack the beautiful Arizona native. There was no way the pink on the young woman’s cheeks was just because of the sunny weather, and Jess liked it that way. 

 

Rey

 

Night had fallen around their band of merry idiots, and if it weren’t for the fire Snap had so dutifully built, Rey would be shivering under the starry sky. Daylight had given way to moonlight, and the orange glow of the fire was now the stunning centerpiece to their circle. Frogs croaked around them louder tonight than usual, as if all the creatures held some piece of gossip that needed to be shared amongst their friends. 

Rey was sitting on a log next to Finn, a glass of something too sweet in her hand, but Kare had promised there was alcohol in it, so she drank it anyways. After spending so much time at the auto shop since her arrival in Maine, Rey still didn’t know Kare as well as she knew the others, but the woman had a cute haircut and a warm smile, so Rey decided she liked her. Kare had the approval of her friends and that was good enough for Rey. 

“I can’t believe you brought along the RV again this year, Snap.” Poe was poking fun at Snap, as the old camping vehicle smelled a little more like moth balls than any normal person would prefer, and sometimes when you passed sixty five miles per hour on the highway it would shake and rattle like a Halloween skeleton. 

“Man, it totally not that bad!” Snap protested, amber liquid spilling from the mouth of his beer bottle. “It’s like we’re camping!”

“More like ‘glamping’, Snap.” 

“Still counts!”

“Kare,” Jess interjected, “You’re more than welcome to sleep in the house tonight if you get sick of Snap the Adventurer.” Jess, like Snap, had also forgone Kare’s sweet elixir and was instead drinking bourbon over ice, despite the amount of times Finn had called her an old man. 

Kare simply smiled, leaning her head against Snap’s shoulder, “That’s sweet Jess, but we’ve got certain… activities planned.” Her tone more than getting her point across. 

Jess shivered, despite her laughter, “Say no more, seriously.” 

Poe, after making quite a show of himself while pretending to vomit into Jess’s lap, decided that no one at this particular campfire was drunk enough for his liking. “Since everyone here is drinking like an old man, we should probably play some kind of drinking game to get us going.” 

“How drunk would you actually like for us to be?” Finn asked, choking down the liquid in is cup as though he’d be scolded if he didn’t. 

“Drunk enough for me to take advantage of you,” Poe wiggled his eyebrows across the fire at Finn. 

“Nuh uh Poe, consent is sexy,” Jess reminded him, punching his shoulder. 

“Our sex has always been consensual, right Finn?” Poe begged his friend for back up.

Finn winked, blowing a kiss in Poe’s direction, “You got that right, baby.” 

Now it was Jess and Rey’s turn to gag, both of them dramatically rolling about. 

Snap ignored them, the brightness of an idea appearing onto his face. “When was the last time we played Never Have I Ever?” 

Everyone in the circle groaned, aside from Finn and Rey, who were blissfully unaware of why that game was always a bad idea. Rey and Finn had only played the game at high school parties, but from what Rey remembered, she was usually just left feeling embarrassed by her lack of experience in certain areas. 

“Snap that game is literally always a bad idea.” Jess waved a finger at him, a warning that meant he shouldn’t push the envelope too far. 

“Its fun! Come on, we’ll only play to five fingers.”

Somehow, they’d all agreed to play, and after several rounds and several shots later, Jess and Rey were going head to head, both of them still only holding up one finger. 

“Never have I ever… broken something at a friends house and not told them.” Poe offered, still drinking even though he’d been out for minutes. 

Jess and Rey look at each other, both shrugging. Still one finger up. 

“That sounds like something you probably have done though, Poe.” Finn laughed. 

“I’m running out of ideas!”

“Never have I ever seen a ghost?” Nope. 

“Never have I ever thrown up on a roller coaster?” 

“Never have I ever eaten dog food?” 

“Wait! I’ve got one,” Snap announced, proudly sitting up to his full height. “Never have I ever slept with a woman.” 

The group burst out laughing as Snap realized what he’d said. “You’ve never slept with a woman, Snap? I beg to differ.” Kare was chuckling good naturedly at her boyfriend. 

“No, it’s for them! Again, low on ideas.” 

Jess was laughing as she put her finger down. “Well that’s not exactly fair, I guess Rey and I are both out then.” 

One glance over the fire though told her the very opposite. Rey felt her cheeks turn scarlet, thankful for the darkness, as her pointer finger was still very much raised into the air. Had this been any other group of people, Rey wouldn’t have cared to admit that while she’d slept with guys, she hadn’t exactly had her turn with women. As luck would have it, this wasn’t just any group of people, and the girl she had a big giant crush on was staring as if Rey had sprouted another head entirely. 

“Wait, you’ve never hooked up with a girl?... Would you like to?” Jess was smirking at Rey, who hoped the florescent shade of pink on her face had been worth every word. 

A chorus of “oohs” spread over the group as Finn put an arm around Rey, keeping her from simply falling into the hole she hoped would open up and swallow her. The pink juice in her cup had been enough to get her tipsy, but suddenly she wished that the beverage had been stronger. 

“Alright enough, next round.” Kare came to the rescue, holding up her five fingers. “Next five.” 

They went around again in a chorus of silly sentences, each one less coherent than the last. The night around them remained crisp and noisy, the animals echoing the hollers from all six drunken humans. Rey had barely been listening to the game, instead zoning out on a particularly bright coal in the fire, when Finn whistled to grab her attention. She looked up, catching Jess’s eye. 

They were the only two left, again. 

“Alright, make this good.” Jess’s smile this time was less of a smirk and more of a genuine greeting. Rey realized that it was an apology for embarrassing Rey, not that she had needed an apology of any kind in the first place.

What came out of Poe’s mouth next caught everyone off guard. “Never have I ever… Had daddy issues.” He sat up, proud of himself, but quickly realized he’d gone too far once no one reacted in the way he’d hoped. 

Jess had gone icy, sitting away from Poe, her brows coming together in anger. “Seriously?” 

“Oh come on Jess, its just-” 

“Just what, a joke?” Jess was shaking her head as she stood, beginning to walk away. “Its not… That’s not funny at all.” 

They all watched as Jess retreated towards the house, an awkward silence hanging around the remaining partiers. While Poe’s comment had stung a little bit, as Rey’s relationship with her own father was brand new, she wasn’t entirely sure why Jess had reacted so severely. She looked up at Finn, who was looking at her as though she might break, and suddenly she wanted to leave the circle too. 

“Rey, come on, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Poe pleaded, grabbing her hand as she walked by. 

“No, it’s fine Poe. I’m going to see if Jess is alright.” Rey was annoyed, but she meant it. They were drunk, all of them, which was proven to Rey as the ground began to ebb and flow beneath her feet as she walked. Poe hadn’t meant anything other than to joke with them, but something about what he said had been overboard for Jess.   
The only light on in the cabin was the one leading up the stairs to loft, which was unsurprising. Rey kicked off her shoes by the door, instead choosing to pad along the cool wooden floors barefoot, as if that would help balance her drunken gait. The narrow stairs certainly proved more difficult once intoxicated, but she managed, a piping column of smoke outside the bedroom window indication of exactly where Jess had gone to hide. 

Rey poked her head over the windowsill, to see Jess sitting cross legged on the ground in the dark, cigarette in hand. “Does misery want company?” 

“Sure does.” Jess replied without looking up, moving out from under the window so Rey could climb down. It wasn’t graceful, but she managed. 

“Are you smoking?” 

Jess shrugged. “Anxious habit. Drunk habit.” 

“Are you anxious?” 

“Drunk, too.” Jess’s smile was full of sarcasm, but Rey knew that her attitude was directed at Poe’s words, not at Rey.   
They sat quietly for a moment, something they’d become quite good at in the last few days. It was late enough that even the crickets and frogs had started to go to bed, and the silence of the night had almost become creepy. Rey stared at her hands while she waited for Jess to say something, pretending her fingers were far more interesting than they really were. 

Jess finally broke, the sound of her voice almost startling Rey, as if she’d forgotten about her presence entirely. ”Why are you here, Rey?” 

Rey was shaken by the self pity in Jess’s normally collected voice. “Here on this trip, or right here in this moment?”

Jess snorted. “You know what I mean.” 

“What Poe said… It effected you, somehow. You can tell me why, if you want to.”

“You don’t want to hear my sob story, Rey.”

Rey hesitated before she reached out and grabbed Jess’s free hand, the one not bringing a cigarette to her lips. “But what if I do want to?”

Jess looked down at their entwined fingers, something about it giving her courage to move on. 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that I don’t talk about my dad. Or a dad, really.” 

Rey nodded, encouraging Jess to continue. 

“When I was thirteen, I came out to my parents. My mom had cried, hugging me, promising that there was nothing I could ever do that would make her love me less.” Jess smiled at the memory, as melancholy as it seemed. “I was so excited that she was okay with it, and we jabbered on for so long that neither of us realized that my dad had gotten real quiet.”   
Rey’s heart dropped a little. She could tell where this was going. 

“He didn’t yell, at first. At first he just told me that he was disappointed, that no child of his would ever be so… disgusting.” Jess choked that word out like it was a mouthful of bile. “But when my mom defended me, he started yelling.” Her voice cracked and she had to take a moment to catch her breath as the tears began to fall. 

Rey squeezed her hand in comfort, but Jess was so lost in her story that Rey didn’t think she’d noticed. 

“There was nothing my mom could say that would change his mind. I just sat on the couch and cried, watching my parents end their marriage over me. Over their gay daughter.” Jess was really crying now, tears slipping down her face in random streaks, splattering the front of her shirt. “My dad never hit her, but when he walked out the front door and slammed it, he might as well have. The glass windows shook so hard I can still hear the noise. My mom got in the car and drove after him for hours. But he never came home.” 

Jess paused again to catch her breath, tossing the cigarette over the railing as it had long burnt out. She released Rey’s hand, crumpling forward instead to wrap her arms around her legs, resting her forehead on her knees. “If I had just kept my mouth shut… if I had only told my mom…” She sniffed. “He may have stayed. He could still be with us.” 

Rey leaned over wordlessly, rubbing Jess’s back as she cried. She offered no words of advice, because there was nothing she’d be able to say that could bring Jess’s father back, or change his mind. Rey was angry for Jess, angry at the man that had caused this bright, headstrong girl to crumple into pieces like this. Rey certainly had her own parental issues, but to know exactly who your parents are, and to still have one of them reject you because of who you love, seemed more painful than Rey could imagine. 

Jess’s sobs eventually slowed into soft hiccups and Rey’s arm got tired from rubbing circles over the smooth cotton of her shirt. Cautiously, Rey moved to speak. “Jess… You know there’s no way your mom blames you for this, right? I haven’t met her yet, but there’s no way someone could love you and blame you for anything… You’re… You’re Jess.” 

Jess looked over at Rey, her hair swinging behind her like an inky curtain. “She doesn’t blame me. She tells me that all the time, so I know. But when something like that happens you just can’t help but feel guilty, you know? I want my mom to be happy. I feel like I took that from her.” 

Rey shook her head, smoothing Jess’s hair away from her face. “You didn’t. He didn’t deserve either of you, if those are his true colors. The world would be better off with less people like him.” 

Jess was staring at her intensely, although her eyes were still a bit hazy and her pupils dilated from her bourbon intake. “That’s why Han is so great. He’s always been there for us, he’s great to my mom too. Han has been so important to my family, Rey. You’re so lucky to have him in yours.” 

“I know,” Rey nodded, “But he has a good judge of character, he knows a good person when he sees one.” 

Jess swallowed, subconsciously leaning a little bit closer to Rey, straightening her back. “Who, me?” 

Rey chuckled softly, placing her hand on Jess’s cheek. “Yes you. You are so great Jess, even though you’re impossibly hard on yourself. Will you work on that, for me?” 

Jess’s gaze was so intense now that Rey was wondering if she was even still listening. She could see every outline of her features, even in the dark. Jess was close enough to smell, a mix of bourbon and smoke, like a candle scent that no one quite asked for, but was perfect on the right person. 

Rey still isn’t quite sure how it happened. Maybe it was the swirl of the alcohol, or a lucky breeze from the right direction, but Jess’s lips were pushed into Rey’s as if they’d belonged there the entire time, and Rey wrapped her hands into Jess’s hair to make sure they stayed that way. The frogs spoke up again, as if to cheer them on, and the night air buzzed with electricity that Rey had never experienced before. They broke away, only to catch their breath, mouths still close enough to touch, with only the slightest push. 

“Holy shit.” Jess breathed into Rey’s mouth. It was sudden and uncouth, but then again so was Jess.

“Usually that would have made me laugh,” Rey responded. “But yeah, agreed.” 

They kissed again, just because they could, and because they were both afraid to break apart, as though they would never get to touch again if they did. In fact they kissed for so long that Rey thought maybe they’d become one person, fused together by will power and more than enough booze. 

Speaking of booze. Jess broke it off finally, moving to sit on her knees, gently grabbing Rey by the wrists to keep her close. “Are you drunk?”

“Huh?” Rey was intoxicated alright, but she wasn’t positive it was just from her drink. “I mean, yeah?”

“Rey.” Jess took a moment to calculate her next words, her will power surprising even to herself. “This isn’t how I wanted this to go down. We’re both drunk, and we may not remember this tomorrow-”

“I’ll remember this forever,” Rey cut her off, pleasing with her eyes. 

“Rey, I want you. Oh god, do I want you. But not like this, not drunk, not after I’ve cried over something that doesn’t involve you.” 

“You really want me?” Rey squeaked, searching Jess’s face for clues. 

“Oh sure, that’s what you pick up on out of everything I said.” Jess was smiling finally, leaning her forehead onto Rey’s. “Come to bed with me. Not like that, but someday. Let’s just go to sleep, for now.”

Rey smiled bashfully, not meeting Jess’s eyes. “We’ll push the beds together?”

“Sure, we’ll push the beds together.” Jess kissed Rey again at that, alcohol be damned, because she was going to keep kissing this girl, maybe for forever, but at least for this summer. 

They separated finally, but Rey smiled when Jess smiled, and for tonight, that would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuckin finally. I'm really proud of this chapter, so if you enjoyed it, shoot me a comment and I'll love you forever.


	6. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how it happened... but this chapter is over five thousand words. Worth it though, since this gets very NSFW towards the end, so maybe don't read this at work? Or do, I don't run your life.

Jess

No one likes to wake up in the morning. For most of the world, waking up means going to work, which means sitting at home watching Netflix on the couch is out of the question. There are very few instances in a persons life when waking up means anything but having to face your responsibilities head on. 

There is also, as Jess was currently experiencing, a form of waking up in which reality seems so perfect that you’d swear there’d been some kind of mistake, and you simply must still be in stage three REM sleep. Jess would have pinched herself if she hadn’t been wrapped over Rey’s sleeping body like a throw blanket, their limbs tangled together like the soft buttered pretzels at the mall. The window they were facing was still open from the night before, and Jess suspected that the ray of sunshine pouring in was the culprit in her newfound consciousness. Not that Jess minded at all. In fact, she had a pretty short list of things she’d wake up early for, and lying in bed with a beautiful girl was certainly on it. The steady whisper of Rey’s breathing was a giveaway that she was still asleep, somehow more resilient to the bright light of day than Jess.

All good things must come to an end however, and as Jess lied there, heavy with the scent of the campfire, booze, and bug spray from the night before, she also noted that she really had to pee. Rey’s body was securely holding her down, a prison Jess wasn’t 100 percent sure she’d ever want to escape from, but even silky skin and curved hips couldn’t prevent Jess’s bladder from plotting something far less attractive. 

Moving quickly but gently, Jess managed to leave the bed without so much as shifting Rey, who was still soundly asleep. Jess envied her a little bit, drinking the image of her in as she trotted down the stairs to the loft. After using the bathroom and brushing her teeth, the weight of a relatively impressive hangover had sunken in, and the search for the Advil was on.   
Poe was in the kitchen already when Jess walked in, his hair ruffled and his eyes still sleepy. He smiled shyly at her as she walked in, looking like a dog caught chewing on a shoe, preparing to be disciplined by his owner. 

Upon seeing her best friend, Jess was reminded about the night before, and how she’d been too preoccupied in the later hours to find him and provide a piece of her mind. However, in the morning light, in a cocoon of new love jitters, Jess could pretty much not have cared less about what Poe had to say about her dad. They were drunkenly playing a stupid game, and that would have to be that. 

So instead she hugged him from behind, smiling when he squeaked with surprise. 

“I love you, Poe.” 

“Oh… kay? Are you alright? Who are you and what have you done with Jess?” Poe had turned in their embrace to face her. “Listen, about last night…”

“We aren’t going to talk about it.” Jess decided, shaking her head. “We were drunk, you said something stupid. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Poe emphasized, “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to apologize.”

Jess sighed, walking away from him to the cabinet by the sink housing the little brown pill she’d need to survive the day. “If you must.” 

“Jess, I’m serious. I’m so fucking sorry I don’t know how to say it without sounding insincere. You’re really important to me and I know more than anyone that talking about your dad is hard. I shouldn’t have said something like that, especially in front of people. Trust me when I swear that it will never happen again.”

“I trust you Poe. Really, I do. I’m not going to let last night ruin this friendship, or this trip. We’re fine, seriously.” Jess smiled at him, knocking back her medicine with a swig of water. 

Poe stewed in her words for a moment before his eyes narrowed and a Cheshire Cat smile grew on his face, the mood in the room completely shifting. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Pava, did you get laid last night?”

Jess rolled her eyes but knew the blush on her cheeks would give her away. “We didn’t sleep together. I mean in the literal sense, yes we did. But not in the way you’re implying.” 

“But you kissed her?” Poe was bouncing on his toes, soaking in this new information like it was the elixir to his life. 

Jess was really flushed now, the smile on her face too big to hide. “Sure, there was a lot of that.”

Poe whooped with excitement before slapping a hand over his mouth, remembering that half of their party was still asleep in their bedrooms. “Was it great?”

“Oh, fuck yeah.” Jess laughed, letting Poe hug her. 

Finn walked into the kitchen just then, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “How come you two are so excited so early in the morning? My excitement level starts at 11 o’clock, tops.”

Poe walked over to Finn, kissing him on the cheek. “Rey and Jess totally made out last night.”

Finn was fully awake now. “No shit, finally?”

Jess nodded at him, suddenly bashful at the attention. “Keep it on the down low for today though, alright you guys? Rey and I haven’t really discussed anything yet and I don’t know what I want to say to Han.” 

Today was the 4th of July and like the good old fashioned Americans they were, they would be cooking, swimming, and drinking until the sun went down, and probably for hours after. Once Finn and Rey had been invited to the cabin and Luke caught wind of the event, he had gotten himself, Han, Leia, and Ben invited as well. The four of them would be arriving early in the afternoon, turning the day into a full blown gathering. Jess never really got to hang out with Han, despite him being her boss, and was looking forward to seeing him around hot dogs and beer instead of motor oil and tires. 

“Are you both still worried that Han will have an issue with this? He doesn’t seem like the type to really care.” Finn sat on one of the bar stools, letting Poe lean into him. 

“I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, sure, but we don’t need to pick today to find out. We’ll talk to him after this week, I swear.” 

Jess meant what she said, despite the raised eyebrows of the two boys in front of her. Her feelings for Rey had solidified after last night. Jess would get on her knees and beg Han if that’s what it took for him to be okay with their relationship. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, turning towards the sink to look out the window. They’d deal with it together, all in due time. 

They’d be alright. 

 

Rey

 

Rey drifted into consciousness that morning like waves to the shore, soft and slow, a smile on her face that she’d deny if you teased her for it. The bed around her was disappointingly empty, but if she squeezed her eyes shut the ghost of Jess’s warmth was still there, soaked into the bedsheets. Rey rolled over onto her back, stretching out like a lazy house cat, bumping her toes into Bee, who had curled up at the end of the mattress. 

“Good morning little girl,” Rey murmured, petting the dog’s soft fur. 

Rey soaked in the moment, listening to the distant sound of voices coming from downstairs, the occasional clang of a pot or pan that could only have meant breakfast was coming. She noticed the open window, the breeze coming in like a welcome house guest, and decided not to shut it before she went downstairs, heading for the bathroom. 

The door was locked once she got there, but she knocked anyways, dancing a little as she waited for a response. 

“I’m peeing!” It was Finn and Rey smiled, hitting the wood with her knuckles once more. 

“It’s me!”

“I’m still peeing!” 

Rey’s smile widened, “Finn, open the door, I have to talk to you.” 

“Okay but like, my dick is out. Hold your horses.” 

There was a pause before the door opened, an exasperated look on Finn’s face. “Can I help you?”

Rey pushed past him, closing the door behind her. “First of all, wash your hands, don’t be gross. Second of all, Jess and I finally made out last night. We didn’t go any further than that, which is maybe okay since I was pretty drunk,” She started pacing then, only able to take a couple steps back and fourth within the small space, “But that’s really cool, you know? That she didn’t just take advantage of me?”

Finn didn’t answer except for to roll his eyes from his place at the sink, pushing soap suds across his skin. 

“And like, she totally could have, so that makes her pretty awesome. But it’s Jess so obviously I already knew she was awesome, right? I’m not sure what this all means for us now, but I kind of think I’d like to date her. No I know, I’d like to date her, but what if she’s not into that? Into dating?” Rey’s face froze for a second but she didn’t stop her pacing, in fact she only sped up a bit, taking steps from the shower to the wall. 

“Oh shit, Finn, I didn’t even ask her if she was into that. This could just be a hookup, you know? I hope not. Should I ask her? I should ask her.” She was circling Finn now, like he was the prey to her shark infested waters. 

“Rey.” Finn started his eyes attempting to follow his friend as she frantically walked around him. He grabbed her by the arms, turning her to face him. “Stop.”

“Sorry.” She was wide eyed and a bit frazzled, hairs popping out of her ponytail. 

Finn couldn’t help but laugh at her, pulling her into a hug to get her to relax. “You’re over thinking this.” 

“I’m just really excited,” Rey’s voice was muffled against Finn’s chest, “She’s so…cool.” 

“My little Rey, hooking up with the cool girl.” He smiled a shit eating grin, tugging on her hair.

Rey swatted at his arms as she pulled out of the hug, coming back down to herself. “Is Jess out there?” She shook her head in the direction of the kitchen. 

“Yeah, Poe too. They’re making breakfast.” 

Rey lowered her voice, wrinkling her nose. “What if it’s awkward?”

Finn rolled his eyes again, “Enough!” He bent down and threw Rey over his shoulder, kicking the door to the bathroom open and carrying her out into the kitchen. 

“Look at what I found in the bathroom.” He dumped his friend onto a bar stool, ducking away from her fist as she swung at him. 

Poe laughed at them from his place at the stove, “Jess, I swear the roaches in this place get bigger every year.” 

Jess turned around from the sink, wiping her hands on a towel and making eye contact with Rey. “There are no roaches in this house, just pretty girls.” She winked at her, hanging the towel back in the counter. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Rey answered, smiling bashfully. “What are you guys making?”

“Eggs,” Poe answered as Jess tutted him away from the pan. “Well I was making eggs but Jess has to do everything herself.”

“You burn them,” Jess claimed unapologetically, shaking the spatula in his direction. “And after this we’ve got tons of food to prep for today, so if either of you are handy with a chopping knife, feel free to step in.” 

“Finn’s a really great cook, actually,” Rey said, stealing Finn’s coffee from in front of him. 

“No shit?” Poe answered. “Consider my panties dropped.” 

“I thought you stopped wearing women’s underwear, Poe?” Jess heckled from the stove. “But seriously Finn, I could really use some help if you’re okay with it.” 

Finn stole his cup back from Rey, his ears a little pink from the attention. “I’d be happy to help. And Rey,” he shot her a look, “get your own damn coffee for once.”

Rey chuckled at him as she jumped down from her stool, walking over to the coffee pot. She had to pass Jess to get there, who smiled at her in a way that made her feel like no one else existed. Rey had just passed the sink before she felt a tug on her arm and spun around, coming closer to Jess than she expected to be. 

Jess was smirking, her voice a little deeper than usual when she spoke. “What? No good morning kiss?”

Rey must have been the color of a cherry tomato when she closed the gap between them, a kiss that made her heart pound so hard it may have flopped onto the kitchen floor. Jess was deepening the kiss instead of pulling away, and Rey was certainly not going to object despite how much it caught her off guard. 

“Look who’s burning the eggs now!” Poe shrieked, causing both of the girls to jump away from each other. 

Jess quickly turned off the power to the burner, lifting the pan from the heat, inspecting its contents. “They’re okay! Don’t freak out.” 

“Don’t burn my eggs, woman!” Poe teased. 

“Sorry! Occupied,” Jess winked at Rey, mouthing was must have been ‘later’ and sending Rey into what was already her second frenzy of the day. 

Jess certainly meant it when she’d said later, because even with Rey’s newfound father and uncle just feet away in the backyard, Jess kissed her every chance she got. They made out in the bathroom, halfway down a flight of stairs, underneath a table Rey was helping Jess set up, and then again behind a particularly wide tree, which was risky but worth it. A looming heat was beginning to build within Rey and she wasn’t quite sure how much more of Jess’s game she’d be able to play before everyone at their party saw quite a different version of a fireworks show. 

Rey was bordering on sensory overload towards the afternoon, while the sun was high enough in the sky to turn her shoulders pink instead of tan. There was a lot of commotion out on the lake where Han was teaching Finn to fish and Poe was ‘helping’, but really he’d fallen off the side of the boat twice already. Leia was sitting on the beach reading, her brow softly furrowed with concentration. Luke was seated next to her in a chair, looking very much like a 4th of July dad with his American flag shirt on. 

“Luke, I think you might be taking this fatherhood thing a little too seriously,” Leia had teased, looking him up and down. 

Secretly, Rey loved that she finally had a dad to bring to barbecues with embarrassing outfits on, who made corny jokes that were actually funny, even if she rolled her eyes at them. Between him and Jess, Rey had gotten everything she’d ever wanted in just the span of a couple weeks. 

She dug her toes into the sand at the bottom of her towel, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile. Jess was seated to her right, laying on a towel of her own, a paperback resting on her face that she had once been reading, but was now using to protect her face from the sun while she napped. The day was feeling more like a scene from a Lifetime summer movie than any form of reality Rey could have conceived for herself. 

“How’s working on the Falcon going, Rey?” Luke brought her out of her thoughts. 

“She’s a lot of work,” Rey nodded. “There are probably a few major parts of the engine we won’t be able to salvage, but I did bypass the compressor last week, which was really cool.” 

Leia looked up from her reading, lowering her sunglasses to look at them better, “I can’t believe your father stuck you with that thing. Rey that car’s been garbage since Han drove it around pretending he was James Dean.” 

Rey laughed at her, “I told him it was garbage.”

“And I’m sure he gave you an ear full for doing so.” 

Poe washed up onto shore just then, huffing and puffing as he climbed out of the water. “Leia, that boat is booby trapped!”

“Did you fall in again, Mr.Dameron?” Leia barely feigned concern as she looked back down at her book, masterfully concealing the smile on her face. 

“I’ve given up on fishing, it’s not my calling and I’m big enough to admit that.” Poe moved to stand over Jess as he squeezed the water from his shorts. 

Jess jumped up with a gasp, the cold water splashing her legs and stomach. “Oh my god, I thought you were peeing on me.” 

Poe laughed, running a hand through his hair, “I’m probably the weirdest person I know, but I’m not that weird, Pava.” 

“I’d put absolutely nothing past you, no offense.” Rey grinned up at him while Jess dried herself with a towel. 

They spent most of their day on the lake, but once everyone started to risk sunburn and Han had run out of patience for young men, they went up to the house for an early dinner. Jess had assigned Snap and Finn to grill duty, which they performed with flying colors and a surprising lack of incident. 

Rey and Jess danced around each other for most of the afternoon, an electricity between them which they feared would spark if they so much as touched. Which Rey wanted to do very badly, and in her own guilty way, she couldn’t wait for her family to leave so she could do just that. 

The Solo family and Luke left just as dusk was settling in, with claims of being old and not staying up too late anymore. Leia apologized for the second time that day about Ben’s absence, which Han had interjected by simply saying, “He didn’t want to come,” even though Leia glared at him for being short. 

Han’s truck had just barely turned down the road before Jess was at Rey’s side, trailing hot kisses from collar bone to ear. The sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, and despite the lack of direct sunlight, Rey was beginning to feel incredibly warm. 

“Jess,” Rey whispered, turning and locking their lips together. “If you keep coming at me like this, I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop.”

“Why stop then?” Jess smirked, her eyes searching Rey’s face before she kissed her again, wrapping her arms around Rey’s waist. 

“We’ll miss the fireworks?” It was a pitiful excuse and Rey knew it. 

“Let’s make our own.” Jess whispered, leaning into her. 

Rey moaned at her contact, goosebumps erupting over her stomach as Jess played with the edge of her bathing suit bottom. Her fingers stilled but didn’t pull away as Jess looked up at Rey, their mouths still close enough to touch. 

“Sobriety check?” Jess asked, taking the time to be smart. 

“I’ve been drinking soda all day to avoid being handed a beer.”

Jess smiled at her answer, kissing Rey’s cheek. “Same here. Let’s go inside.”

“Race you.” Rey turned away, sprinting up the back steps to the porch, making a beeline for the stairs to the loft. 

Jess stopped her before she could climb them, grabbing her arm. “Not the loft, there’s no door.” Rey felt her knees start to give out as Jess winked at her. “In here.”

They went into the second bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind them. Jess was on her in an instant, using their kiss to push Rey backwards onto the bed, taking no time to straddle her. 

 

Jess

 

Jess knew that she wasn’t drunk, but something about the way Rey was kissing her right now was seriously intoxicating. The entire day had been torture and Jess had internally cheered when Han’s truck barreled down the driveway, meaning she could finally do to Rey what she’d been picturing for weeks. 

Rey was positively glowing beneath her, the usual paleness of her skin now tinted from the sun. Jess kissed her way down Rey’s neck, wanting to inspect every new inch of color. The scent of sun tan lotion and lake water was turning Jess on in a way she never thought it could before, and the more Rey’s hands traveled up her shirt, she knew there’d be no turning back tonight. 

Jess pressed her hips down against Rey, both of them groaning at the contact. Rey’s hands began to travel from Jess’s stomach to her hips, circling around to cup her butt, giving her a playful squeeze. Jess squealed, moving back up to capture Rey’s lips. 

“You’re playing with fire there, tiger.” 

Rey smirked, “I won’t mind if I get burned.” She latched onto the sensitive spot below Jess’s ear, losing herself in the vibrations of Jess’s moans. 

Jess knew she wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer, the warmth in her lower body growing into a full on ache. As if Rey could read her mind, her hands slid into Jess’s inner thighs, causing Jess’s legs to literally quake. The smile on Rey’s face let Jess know that she’d noticed. 

“I want you, Rey,” Jess whispered, running her hands through the girl’s brown hair, kissing her fully on the mouth. 

“You have me.” Rey kissed her back, taking the initiative to pull Jess’s tank top off her body, tossing it onto the floor. Rey’s own top followed quickly after that, and then bras, and suddenly there were far more articles of clothing on the floor than on the women in the bed. 

Jess started to move down Rey’s body, exploring her breasts for the first time and feeling extreme joy over finding a ticklish spot on her ribs. Jess was so happy to be touching and feeling any part of Rey that she barely noticed the girl tug on her hair, trying to get her attention. 

“Jess,” She looked up at the sound of Rey’s voice from halfway down her body. “Let me.”

“Let you what?” 

“Let me touch you first.” It was the first time that night Rey had seemed bashful, her eyes a little wide and her cheeks were flushed. Rey was so beautiful in that moment that Jess could never have said no, would have given her the world if Rey asked for it. 

They moved together to roll to the right, flipping Rey on top of Jess. The contact of their bare skin was sinfully good, but Jess was going to need a little more before she exploded. Her hips lifted off the mattress, as if to prove the point, brushing against Rey’s own pelvis. 

Jess could sense Rey’s hesitation as she moved down her body, placing worshipping kisses over every inch of Jess’s skin. She sunk lower onto the bed, finally pushing Jess’s legs apart like she was opening a gift. Jess could have cried at how tender Rey was being, the moment so sweet it was almost corny. 

“May I?” Rey looked up at her, her eyes wide. 

Jess’s breath caught in her throat before she found the power to answer. “I’d be offended if you didn’t.” 

Rey smiled shyly, turning back to kiss down Jess’s right thigh, the anticipation of her descent practically driving Jess insane. The kiss she placed on Jess’s lips gave her goosebumps, but the long stroke Rey took with her tongue right after is what made Jess moan. Rey smirked at the noise, wrapping her arms around Jess’s thighs to hold her in place. She worked teasing, methodical licks at and around where Jess wanted them, working the girl into a huffing, moaning mess.

Jess was about to remind Rey that she had fingers (and to please use them) when Rey ran a finger down to her entrance, pushing into it. 

“Two,” Jess was able to share a breathless instruction, squeezing her eyes shut as Rey dutifully added a second finger to where the first one resided. Rey worked them in and out for a few moments before twisting them to rub against Jess’s g spot, something very few of Jess’s previous girlfriend’s had done before. 

“Oh fuck, that’s good Rey,” Jess whined, her voice an octave she’d be mortified for anyone but Rey to hear. Rey continued just like that for a while, the sensation overwhelmingly good. The coil in Jess’s lower half was winding tightly, and all it took was for Rey to lean forward and suck on her clit for her orgasm to slam into her, white hot and sudden. 

Jess actually screamed before slamming a pillow over her mouth as her body writhed through shockwaves, letting Rey lick at her until she was too sensitive to enjoy it anymore. She came down from her high after a while, the room quiet around them except for the distant popping noises from outside. 

“Is that..?” Rey was the first to speak, climbing back up to lay next to Jess on the bed.

“Fireworks,” Jess laughed breathily, “How about that.”

They both started giggling, pent up excitement and giddiness abundant between them. Jess stared at Rey as they calmed down, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, resting her hand on her cheek. Despite Rey’s lack of experience in bed with women, Jess is pretty sure she just had the best orgasm of her life. 

“Where did you learn to do that?” Jess trailed a hand down Rey’s front, rubbing soft circles along her skin. 

Rey blushed, prompted both by the question and the fact that Jess was inching closer to her core, “I may not have slept with a woman before, but I’ve had plenty of time to practice on myself.” 

Jess lost her breath for a moment, lost in the way that sentence made her feel. “Oh fuck that’s hot, Rey.” She went in for the kill then, catching Rey’s lips in a searing kiss as she pushed through her folds, circling her clit. 

Rey broke their kiss with a gasp, so spent on excitement and nerves that it only took a few passes before she fell into her first orgasm of the night, falling forward into Jess for support. 

“I didn’t mean for that to happen so fast,” Jess chuckled once she felt Rey’s breathing return to normal, kissing the top of her head. “Mind if I go in for round two?”

Rey looked up at her with dark eyes, her pupils blown. “Do your worst.”

Jess moved down the bed, stopping Rey as she went to move onto her back. “Don’t lie back. Bring yourself up here, over my face.”

Rey paused, searching Jess’s expression. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

Doing as she was told, Rey straddled Jess’s face, unsure of what to do with her hands. Jess smoothed her hands down Rey’s legs, kneading the flesh there as she kissed her inner thighs, taking her time building Rey’s desire. The girl had clearly had enough, as she sank down lower over Jess, giving her no choice but to kiss where Rey wanted it. 

Jess went ahead, slow and languid, using the noises Rey was making as motivation to keep going, her hands now firmly knotted onto the headboard. After a while, Jess added two fingers, twisting and rubbing in the same way Rey had for her just a while before. Rey starting pushing her hips down to meet Jess’s fingers in a way that was so hot Jess thought she might come too. 

“Jess.” Rey murmured, “That feels so good.” 

Deciding that Rey was too coherent, Jess tilted upwards, locking her lips around Rey’s clit, rolling the little bud with her tongue. Rey came only moments later, a moan so loud that Jess prayed their friends were still outside so they couldn’t hear. Jess worked Rey through her orgasm, only stopping once Rey started pulling away from her hands. 

Jess sat up while Rey scooted down, collapsing into Jess’s lap, resting her head on her chest. They sat in silence for a bit, soaking in each other’s presence as Jess stroked Rey’s hair, giving her time to come back to reality. 

“Wow.” Rey whispered once she’d found her voice. 

“You’re telling me.” Jess kissed the top of her head. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Rey said, her voice suddenly timid. 

Jess wrapped her arms around her, “Anything, of course.”

“What is this, to you?”

Jess looked down at her, putting a hand under Rey’s chin so that she’d meet Jess’s gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Like… are we just hooking up? Or, I don’t know. Does this mean more to you than that?” She looked away, shrugging. “I don’t know. It seems silly now, to say it out loud.”

“Rey. Look at me, my sweet girl.” Rey turned her face back to Jess’s, still avoiding her gaze. Jess was overcome with affection for her, and knew exactly what she’d say next before she’d really stopped to think about it. Jess was as sure about this as anything, as sure as she was that there is no mail on Sundays, or that Poe takes his coffee with sugar. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Rey blinked at her, but her wits must have returned in record time, because now she was kissing Jess unlike she had been earlier. The kiss was no longer needy or hot, it was soft and gentle like how waves roll up onto the coast. 

“That’s a yes,” Rey smiled at her, wide enough that Jess felt like she was looking into the sun. 

The sound of fireworks was coming in again from outside, and even though Jess would normally roll her eyes at such a thing, it was fitting, and matched her internal feelings perfectly. In due time she knew that they would have to get dressed and join their friends outside under the warm summer moon, but for now they were content in allowing this room to be their entire world. 

Just these two beautiful girls, slowly falling in love with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God forgive me for the firework lines. Thats mega corny but tbh you guys, you just can't write 4th of July smut without mentioning fireworks somehow. Don't blame me, it needed to happen.


	7. Guess What

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretending that's impressive but actually I already had this mostly written and I'm putting it out into the void because why not.

Rey

“I feel like I’m in that Hilary Duff music video. You know, the one with the cozy sweater, the candles, and the rain?” Poe was looking out the window, the rain coming down in sheets, drumming against the roof of the house. The blanket from the couch in the living room was draped over his shoulders, looking a little more super hero than pop star. 

This was supposed to be the final day of their trip, but the weather apparently had other plans for them. The news had sent warnings of flash flooding on most of the major highways back into town, so they were as good as stuck until the water washed back out. Snap and Kare had left the night before, wanting to beat the storm, and it seemed as though they should have followed their example. 

“Come back over here Poe, it’s your turn.” Finn called, waving him back over to the game of cards they’d been playing with Rey while Jess took a shower. 

Rey didn’t really mind the lazy day, considering how much of a whirl wind their week had already been. Besides, if she got anymore sun she feared the skin on her back might peel off in a sheet. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom suddenly turned off, indicating that Jess had finished her shower. Rey realized, despite feeling a little silly, that’s she’d missed Jess in just the fifteen minutes she’d been gone. 

“I’ll be right back,” Rey placed her cards face down on the coffee table, sending a pointed look towards the boys. “No peaking while I’m gone.” 

“No promises,” Finn winked at her as she stood and padded across the wooden floor to the bathroom, shivering as a rumble of thunder broke their peace. 

Rey knocked on the bathroom door, listening to Jess move around on the other side. Jess opened it for her, standing there with her dark hair still dripping, a towel barely wrapped around her sun tanned body. The air inside the bathroom was sticky with humidity, much like the air outside must have been.

“Need something?” Jess’s expression was amused but she moved aside to let Rey in anyways, closing the door again behind them. 

“I just missed you,” Rey shrugged, sitting down on the lid of the toilet to get out of Jess’s way. 

Jess smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her quickly. “You’re so cute.” 

“Not as cute as you,” Rey quipped, knowing the response would make her girlfriend roll her eyes. 

She was right, and Jess rolled her eyes as she removed the towel from her body, bending over to shake her hair dry. Rey’s body immediately flushed, Jess’s naked body on full display. 

“Don’t tell me you’re blushing right now,” Jess laughed, wrapping the towel back around herself. 

“I can’t help it,” Rey squeaked, covering her face with her hands. It was true, Jess’s effect on her was completely out of her control, and that probably wasn’t ever going to change considering that they’d had sex every night for the last five days like bunnies in heat. 

“Okay, talk to me about something else then, before I jump your bones.” Jess was smirking while running a brush over her hair. 

Rey thought for a moment, “Let’s talk about how much I really don’t want this vacation to end.” 

“I know,” Jess agreed, “Back to reality. At least I like my job. Plus the boss’s niece is super hot, she hangs around all the time.” 

Rey laughed, crossing her legs one over the other, “Hey, I don’t hang around all the time!” 

Jess quirked her head, “Who said I was talking about you?” 

Rey mocked offense, kicking at Jess’s leg. “Take it back!”

“I’m kidding, but really, being home won’t be all that different from this. We spend time together at the auto shop every day.” 

“Yeah but you’ll be working, so it’s not like we can just hang out. We also only have” Rey was about to add ‘until the end of the summer’ when someone pounded on the door. 

“Hey! I’m hungry!” It was Poe (of course) but as Rey realized what she was about to say, her blood turned to ice. There were classes at the University of Arizona that she was very much enrolled in, but somehow she had ever so conveniently forgotten to mention this to Jess. 

“Make your own lunch, Dameron!” Jess hollered back at him. 

“You’re better at it though,” He replied, laughing at his own incompetence. 

“He’s right,” Jess shrugged. “I’ll be out in a second!” She turned back to Rey, running a hand through her hair. “What were you about to say, sweet girl?” 

“Huh? Oh, I forget. Must not have been a big deal.” Rey tried to reassure her with a smile, but she could tell Jess saw right through it. Thankfully however, she decided not to press the issue, even though Rey knew deep down that it was a conversation they’d have eventually anyways. 

“I’m gonna go get dressed, I’ll meet you in the kitchen, okay?” Jess kissed her, tucking Rey’s hair behind her ear. 

Rey nodded, cool air washing over her as the bathroom door opened. She was certainly not looking forward to telling Jess that they had another six weeks before Rey was on an airplane back to Arizona. Suddenly she felt like someone had flipped over an hourglass and the countdown was on, throwing a very serious wrench in their blissful summer vacation. 

 

Jess

 

“Finn, this makes no sense!” Jess laughed with frustration as she tried to mimic the way Finn was holding his chopping knife. 

“No it does make sense, you’re just not paying attention.” He smiled good naturedly at her, grabbing her hands to adjust where her fingers were. “Try it like that.” 

“Oh,” Jess let out an extended noise of understanding as she sliced through the onion, her grip more comfortable and secure the way Finn had showed her. 

“Got it?” He asked, watching her work. 

“Got it. Thanks Finn,” Jess smiled warmly up at him. “Wanna stir the sauce for me while I do this?”

“Yes ma’am.” He took his place at the stove, stirring around the deep red pasta sauce, a recipe that Jess had gotten from her mom. 

Rey and Poe were in the living room playing Mario Kart while the rain continued to plummet down on them, even though the thunder from that morning had receded. Someone’s phone began to buzz on the coffee table between the two of them, neither of them breaking concentration to look and see who’s phone it was. 

“Rey, check and see who’s calling,” Poe insisted, his tongue poking out just slightly with determination. 

“No, Poe, you check and see who’s calling.” Rey shot back, narrowly avoiding driving over a banana peel. 

“Will someone check and see who’s calling?” Jess called from the kitchen, her hands covered in onion residue. 

Poe swore as he crashed again and Rey surpassed him, sticking her tongue out at him in celebration. “Fine, I guess I have to get it.” 

He answered the phone before the caller hung up, “Hi Mrs. Pava. You made me lose a game of Mario Kart!” 

Jess could practically hear her mom’s response. She probably half heartedly apologized for the game and then reminded Poe that it was ‘Ms.’ not ‘Mrs.’, like she’d been doing for years. 

“Jess it’s your mom,” He called, running over to hand Jess the phone. “Get ready for a rematch, Rey.” 

“Hey momma!” Jess cheered into the phone, genuinely glad to hear from her mother. 

“Hi baby girl! You guys aren’t driving home in this rain are you?” Diana Pava’s tone was worried, but Jess could tell that she was well rested and in a pleasant mood. 

“No, we’re not. We decided to just stay until the rain cleared out, it’s really coming down here.” 

“Good, you worried me. It’s starting to clear up at home, you might be able to make it back tonight if you feel up for it.”

“Wait, at home? How would you know? Mom, are you home?” As far as Jess knew, her mother would be in Salt Lake City until the end of the week, overseeing the opening of a new hotel.

“Surprise! My plane landed yesterday before the storms rolled in.”

“Momma you should have told me, we would have come home yesterday,” Jess winked over to Rey, who had turned to watch her, listening in on the conversation. 

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d do exactly that, Jess. I’ll see you when you guys come home.” Hearing the older woman’s voice made Jess realize just how much she’d missed her. 

“I’ve missed you, you know.”

“I’ve missed you too baby girl.” 

They shared goodbyes before Jess hung up the phone with a smile on her face. The end of the vacation suddenly wasn’t so bad, since she’d get to see her mom once she got home. Another reason to be excited, Jess realized, was that Rey would get to meet Diana. It had been a while since Jess had introduced anyone to her mother, but if she’s being honest with herself, Rey is the first person she’s dated that’s been worth introducing to her mom.

After lunch, the four of them had curled up on the couches to watch the Goonies, a rainy day favorite of Rey’s. The rain outside poured down along with the rain on the Goondocks, which apparently soothed Poe and Finn off to sleep, the two of them out like a light, snuggled against each other on the couch under the window. Jess was leaning against Rey, both of them tucked under a blanket against the slight chill that had settled in due to the lack of sunshine. 

Chunk and Sloth had just escaped the Fratellis when Jess turned to Rey, kissing her cheek to get her attention. “Sweet baby Rey?”

“Mm?” Rey purred, not taking her eyes from the screen as Sloth slammed the fallen pipes back into the ceiling. 

“What were you going to say earlier? In the bathroom?” Jess could tell that Rey had not really wanted to finish her sentence at the time, but the thought had been in the back of Jess’s mind all day. If something was bothering Rey, Jess wanted her to be able to talk about it. 

Rey turned to look at her now, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. “Um. I have something I want to talk to you about, but not now. I don’t want to ruin this day.” 

Jess’s heart started to beat a bit quicker. What could Rey say to her that would ruin anything? “Rey, come on. You can’t say something like that and expect me to just let it drop.”

“I just don’t want to ruin this.” Rey was pleading to Jess with her facial expression, so distraught that Jess thought she may start crying. 

“Rey.” Jess kissed her, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck. “You’re not going to ruin anything as long as you trust me enough to share your thoughts with me.”

“Okay,” Rey sighed, gathering her thoughts. It took her a moment before she gathered enough strength to start. “So Finn and I are from Arizona, right?”

Jess nodded, “Yes Rey, you didn’t have to start that far back.” 

“No, it applies. So, before we left Arizona, I wasn’t really sure what, or who, I was going to find out here. So I took some… steps to ensure that if this didn’t work out, I’d have a backup for when I came home.”

“Okay… Are you about to tell me that you have another girlfriend on the west coast or something? You’re freaking me out here.” Jess could tell her facial expression must have looked a little crazed, but she really wasn’t sure where Rey was going with this. 

“No, Jess,” Rey rubbed a hand over her face, taking a breath. “I signed up for classes. I’m supposed to be heading back to Arizona in about six weeks so I can go to school.”

At first, Jess wasn’t sure what the big deal was. If Rey wanted to go to school, that was awesome, but then she realized just where Rey said she’d be going. 

“Oh. Rey, Arizona is… far.”

Rey nodded, bringing the blanket up to her chin. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” They two girls stared at each other for a while, a heavy silence between them, neither of them sure about what needed to be said next. 

“I can’t ask you not to go to school, Rey.” Jess spoke first, her tone even despite having an internal break down. 

“I’m not telling you to,” Rey replied, shaking her head. 

“Okay.” 

Rey looked up at her shyly. “What do we do?” 

Jess shook her head, a lump appearing in her throat that she didn’t realize was there until she’d attempted to speak. “We enjoy the next six weeks and then you go to school, okay?”

“But”

“No. You’re going, it’ll be good for you. And maybe you can come back here for holidays, right? Since Luke is your dad and all.”

Rey was still quiet, her eyes brimming with tears, one slipping down her cheek like a pearl. “What about us?”

Jess wiped a tear of her own, trying to avoid a break down for Rey’s sake. She reached out and placed a hand on either side of Rey’s face. “I don’t think I can quit you.” 

Rey did start crying then, nodding in agreement. Jess pulled her into her chest, wanting nothing more than to be wrapped in her presence. “We’re not ending anything, okay? Long distance is a thing plenty of people do.” 

Rey snuggled closer into Jess’s chest, wrapping the blanket tighter around them. “Can we put this conversation on hold for six more weeks?”

Jess nodded, kissing the top of Rey’s head. “Sounds good to me.”

And it did. If they had six weeks to pretend everything was fine, then Jess would. If there was anything Jess was good at, it was repressing her feelings. She just wished that she didn’t see a countdown clock on the metaphorical nightstand of their relationship now, a constant “don’t forget” on their horizon.

Long distance works, doesn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you thought everything was happy, huh? Guess what, PSYCH. Also, sorry. Also also, I need to get a life but these characters are holding me hostage.


	8. What I Like About You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, admittedly, mostly fluff and filler. The kicker here is that this was SUPPOSED to be angst, but I apparently wasn't in the mood for that, so this came out instead.

Rey

Five weeks and 4 days. Not that Rey was counting, but her impending departure was looming at the front of her mind, like dark clouds before a thunderstorm. Finn kept telling her not to focus on it, since dwelling would do nothing but ruin their remaining time together, but it had crawled into her brain like a parasite, becoming a permanent resident. Rey huffed, eyeing the ceiling of the hayloft she was standing in. Instead of going into the shop today, she’d decided to stay home and help Luke work on the farm, feeling a bit guilty that most of her time had been spent with Han. 

Jess and Rey had worked along side each other all week just fine after returning from the lake house, not that Rey had expected her to act any differently. But that’s the thing; things were fine, in fact they were great, which almost made the matter worse. She needed a day to think everything over.

Rey shook the anxiety out of her head, shoving a bale of hay through the shoot with more force than necessary. 

“Easy up there, are you trying to kill me?” Luke called up at her from below. 

“Sorry, a little distracted,” Rey responded, peaking her head through the hole to look at him. The dust in the air was sparkling through rogue sunbeams, giving Luke a hazy, far away appearance. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not particularly,” She sighed, dropping down from the loft to the dirt floor below, a puff of dust rising at her feet. 

Luke gave her a look, cutting the twine from a bale of hay, “Use the ladder next time.”

“Sorry.” Rey smirked at him, wiping sweat off her forehead. 

“You’re sure you don’t want to talk about anything?”

“Luke. Stop.” She shot him a look, which the older man returned ten fold. They proceeded to stare each other down for a moment, before Rey broke. “Okay fine, you win.”

“You forget where your genetics come from,” Luke smiled, having gotten what he wanted. “What’s on your mind, kid?”

“I’m just thinking about the fall, going back to Arizona. The more time I spend here the less I want to go back.” 

Luke lifted the wheelbarrow they’d been loading and nodded towards the door, waiting for her to slide it open for him. The two Skywalkers made their way down to the cow pastures, feeding the animals their lunch. 

“So you don’t want to go back to Arizona because…?” Luke was baiting her to say something, but Rey wasn’t sure what. 

“I feel like I could have a life here,” Rey didn’t realize that was the true until she’d said it aloud. There was nothing for her in Arizona, especially not with Finn in Maine. The only thing tying her to the desert state was the acceptance letter from UA and the deposit check she wrote to sign up for classes. 

“Okay. That’s the only reason?” Luke tossed her another look, holding an arm out to block a particularly stubborn cow as he opened the pasture gate. 

“Well I’ve already enrolled into school there, we’ve talked about that. What else?” She looked at her father inquisitively while holding a palm out to Muffin the cow, who had nudged her way forward into Rey’s shoulder. 

“Rey. It’s okay to tell your dad about the nice mechanic girl you’ve fallen for in the short time you’ve been here.” Luke smiled at her as she blushed, turning away from him to hide her face into Muffin’s neck. “Bingo.”

Rey laughed, “How did you know?”

“Let’s just say that tree you two were hiding behind on the 4th wasn’t as wide as you thought.” He winked at her, tossing the hay away from him so the horde of cows would stop crowding him. 

Rey’s cheeks turned a deep scarlet as she watching the cows parade around, the sunlight glistening against the ruddy browns and blacks of their fur. It was just past high noon and the air was pleasantly warm, nothing like the suffocating heat of Arizona. Rey added the weather to her mental list of reasons that Maine was feeling more like home every day. 

Finally finding her voice, Rey turned to look at Luke, who was studying her as she hand fed Muffin her lunch. “You’re right, Jess is definitely a contender. She’ll be furious if I don’t go though, she thinks school will be good for me.”

“Well, it would be,” Luke agreed, leaning on the fence post, checking it’s stability. “What do you want to study?”

“I wasn’t sure at first, but now I think I’d like to go to veterinary school.” Rey giggled as Muffin nibbled her fingers, an enthusiastic response to her statement. “I’ve always loved animals.” 

“There are veterinary schools here, you know. Good ones, actually, since we’re in the heart of New England’s farm land. If it means that much for you to go to UA though Rey, you should go. We’ll all be waiting for you when you come back.” 

It did mean a lot for Rey to go, but only because the deposit check had already been cashed. The money had been the only thing left from her mother, an account the woman had set up before she passed. Rey couldn’t back out now and let that money completely go to waste. 

“I couldn’t afford to fly back and forth from Maine to Arizona for four years though,” Rey realized, her heart sinking at the idea of not returning to this place to see Luke or Jess for the next four years. 

“Rey, you really think I’d make you pay for your own plane tickets?” Luke opened the gate, waving for her to follow him. 

Rey gave Muffin a pat, exiting the paddock. “I couldn’t ask you to pay for that, Luke. You don’t have that obligation to me.”

“No,” Luke put a hand on either of her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “I’m your father. I’ve got 19 years to make up for, so it won’t kill me to buy a plane ticket here and there.”

Rey couldn’t answer him with words, instead stepping forward to hug him. It was surreal enough that she had found Luke, but even more so that he’d been willing to step up to the plate of fatherhood. This entire summer was too good to be true and Rey was hoping her luck wasn’t about to run out. 

“Listen, let’s go inside and have lunch. You’ve got a while to think about this, right?” 

Rey nodded as she look at her father, thankful for his existence. Luke’s eyes were kind as he smiled at her, the glittering blue a contrast to the suntanned and wrinkled skin around his eyes, the man’s youth still visible despite being in the dead center of his sixties. Rey could see the resemblance between them, something Leia had pointed out the first time she’d met her niece. They shared the same mouth and jawline, and while his nose was a little wider than hers and Rey’s eyes were brown to his blue, there was no question that the two of them shared DNA.

They went into the old farmhouse, climbing up weathered steps that had seen better days. Rey liked that the house was old, it had character compared to the dorm style foster homes she’d spent her life in, all of them void of anything that could feel like a home. The table in the kitchen was nicked and scraped from years of being used to write letters and fill out the crossword puzzle in the Sunday paper, and as Rey sat down to watch Luke make lunch, her phone vibrated in her pocket. 

She knew it was Jess before she even looked at it, the message making her smile. 

Jess: You coming in today? The boys are driving me crazy.

Rey texted her back, kicking herself for not giving Jess a heads up that morning. 

Rey: I’m not, sorry. Tell Finn to behave himself. I’ll see you for dinner?

Jess: Only if I get to have you for dessert ;)

Rey: Deal. 

Jess’s comfort in her sexuality was something that Rey was still getting accustomed to. Not in a way that she was uncomfortable being bisexual, in fact that was not the case at all. Rey still found herself surprised and blushing whenever Jess said something suggestive, while Jess would never even bat an eyelash. That was Jess though, consistently calm and even tempered regardless of the situation. 

Finn was the next one to text her, a surefire sign that word traveled fast within the little auto shop. 

Finn: I AM behaving myself, thanks very much!

Rey giggled to herself, rolling her eyes as she typed a response, sure that the opposite was true. Luke looked up at the sound, clearing his throat. 

“Are your friends missing you?” He smiled, the one that made the wrinkles around his eyes come out. 

“Must be,” Rey nodded, putting her phone down on the table to avoid being rude. 

“You should go see them after lunch, Rey. You don’t have to stay here with me. Besides, I’m just going to be working on the tractor, its been giving me a hard time for weeks.” 

“Let me help you!” Rey insisted, “You know I’ve learned a thing or two from Han, maybe I could be some real help.”

Luke gave her another one of his looks, skeptical of whether or not she really wanted to stay. “You really don’t have to do that.”

“I want to!” Rey put her foot down, because it was true. Not only did she enjoy spending time with Luke, but she was happy to help him after all he’d done for her and Finn. Having a dad, a parent even, to help around the house was almost too good to be true at this point in her life and Rey was going to spend as much time with Luke as possible. 

After the cold isolation of foster care, Rey was more than happy for the solid embrace of the farm, even the manual labor that came with it. As long as Luke would have her, Rey would be there. 

 

Jess

 

Jess had leaped in the shower the second she’d gotten home from work, which was apparently the first clue to her mother that something was up. Usually Jess got home from work and collapsed, exhausted, onto one of the couches in the living room, useless and numb to the world for the rest of the night. 

The second clue was the pair jeans and an honest to god clean shirt that she put on after instead of the typical ratty sweats and t-shirt that she’d sport in the evening hours. If Jess was getting dressed like a normal person after five o’clock, she was up to something. 

“Jessika,” Diana shot her daughter a look over the screen of her laptop as Jess settled into the couch across from her, “Is something special going on tonight?”

“Why?” Jess quipped while flipping through the channels on the TV, pretending she couldn’t feel her mother’s eyes giving her a once over. 

“You’re normally less… put together once you come home from work. And you’ve got pants on.” 

“I can’t wear pants in my own house?” Jess looked away from the screen, knowing her cover was already blown. 

Diana laughed, shaking her head. “Is someone coming over?”

Jess grinned sheepishly, pulling a pillow into her lap, “Can Rey come over for dinner tonight? I know you’re leaving tomorrow and you probably don’t want company, but I really want you to meet her.” She could feel the warmth of a blush on her cheeks, but her mom was kind enough not to comment on it. 

“Jess, I’d be thrilled.” Diana smiled at her daughter, a fond smile on her face. “Who’s cooking, me or you?”

“I’ll do it, I want to,” Jess answered, excited for the evening to come.

 

Over the years, Jess hadn’t ever been in the habit of bringing girl’s home to meet her mother. Not that there had been tons of them, but none had been important enough to warrant a meeting with Diana, at least not until now. Rey was different from all of these other girls, in a way that still sent Jess reeling in disbelief that Rey had actually ended up liking her back. Where Rey was compassionate, kind, and sweet (though Finn warned her of a far more no nonsense Rey that she had yet to see), Jess usually dated girls with a bit too much attitude, the kind that would fuck you and leave before you’d come to your senses. This had left Jess with too many broken hearts, and while Poe always joked that she had a type, Jess hoped that she’d broken that pattern with Rey. 

Rey’s departure at the end of the summer was going to be nothing but a speed bump, a crack in the side walk of their relationship. Besides, Jess had started telling herself, if their relationship can survive the 2,805 mile separation, they could plan on being together for years. The more time Jess spent with Rey and got to learn the ins and outs of this girl, the more she realized it’s what she wanted. 

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Jess sent a message to Rey, letting her know it was okay to come over. 

Rey: I’ll see you in 10?

Jess: Give me a few extra minutes to still my beating heart. 

Rey: Ugh, god. You’re such a corn ball today 

Jess: ;) see you soon 

Today had been the first time in a while that Jess and Rey hadn’t spent most of their time together. Consciously, Jess knew that it wasn’t healthy to spend every waking moment of a new relationship with the other person, but she was enjoying the time so strongly that she frankly didn’t care. To be fair, the time they spent at the auto shop wasn’t really together, considering that was Jess’s job and Rey knew better than to distract her for long periods of time (except for that one occasion in the supply closet, which Han didn’t ever need to know about). 

So when Rey walked into the Pava residence that night, it took all the energy Jess could muster not to just take her girlfriend upstairs and leave dinner forgotten in the oven. If her mother hadn’t been home, they probably would have done just that, because Jess recognized the look Rey was giving her too. The two women certainly got a lesson in patience that night.   
They pulled dinner off though, both of them appearing calm and sweet, despite Rey’s fingers dancing along the inside of Jess’s thigh under the table, the latter of which thanking her lucky stars she’d decided to wear jeans. The denim acted as a protective shield from the heat of Rey’s skin, a heat that Jess knew would burn her the second they made contact later that night. 

It wasn’t until her second of third orgasm (she couldn’t remember) that the sensation of those touches became too much, and Jess started to push Rey away for the first time since they’d scampered upstairs after hearing her mother’s bedroom door close for the night. 

“Okay, I’m spent. Give me a second,” Jess collapsed next to Rey on top of her bed spread, her chest still heaving from holding her breath, the only way to silence herself and avoid her mom having to experience this aspect of her daughter’s relationship. 

Rey took no time before snuggling into Jess’s side, content enough to simply share the space, their skin just barely sticking together from sweat. They were close enough to press their lips together with minimal effort, so they did, neither of them feeling the need to talk. It was moments like this when Jess could feel herself falling for someone, the intimacy of the moment flowing through her as thought it had replaced her blood, keeping her alive. Being with Rey like this was no different. 

Jess broke away to look at her better, the room void of any noise other than the rush the of the air conditioner, the flow from which was causing goosebumps to crawl up Rey’s arms. Jess brushed her fingers over them, memorizing every freckle on the skin there as if they provided a map to somewhere important, and as she danced up over Rey’s shoulder blade she supposed they did, coming to a stop right over where her girlfriend’s heart was beating. 

Rey smiled shyly as Jess leaned forward and ghosted a kiss on the spot, running a hand through Jess’s glossy dark hair. “You treat me like I’m something special.” Rey’s voice was barely audible, as if she was embarrassed that the words had crossed her mind, let alone been vocalized. 

Jess looked up at her, overcome with the need to prove to Rey that she was something special, intent on reversing the years of being told she wasn’t. 

“Do you want to know everything that I like about you?” Jess said, and without waiting for an answer she kissed Rey, forbidding her from changing the subject. 

“Your mouth curves down a little on the sides, like you’re frowning.” Jess traced the edge of Rey’s lips with her fingertips. “And your freckles… I want to count every one.” Her hand moved to dance across Rey’s cheekbone, acknowledging each brown spot that settled there. 

Rey wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I hate them.”

“Really?” Jess voice was distant, far away as though she was speaking from a dream. “I think they’re more beautiful than stars.” 

Rey’s skin flushed pink, forever susceptible to Jess’s doting comments. Jess would never stop making them, so long as Rey reacted like that. 

“What else do you like about me?” Rey whispered, gasping as Jess leaned forward to catch one of her nipples with her lips, swirling a tongue over the soft bud.

“I like the noises you make when I touch you.” Jess responded, kissing her way down Rey’s ribs, her stomach flipping as the girl giggled at the sensation. “And I like that when I’m with you, I feel like I’m enough. I don’t have anything to prove to you, but you make me want to be better anyways.” 

Rey was watching her, absent mindedly tangling her fingers into her hair. “Has anyone ever made you feel this way before?”

Jess paused, because the answer to that question would be important. She traced circles into Rey’s hip, staring as if the words she needed to say were printed onto the skin there. 

“No.” Jess realized aloud, confessing as much to herself as she was to Rey. “You’re the first.”

They were both quiet for a moment before Rey reached a hand down to cup Jess’s chin, guiding her face up to where Rey’s head was resting on a pillow. “Come back up here so I can kiss you.”

Kissing Rey began to feel like coming home, despite Jess having never lived anywhere else or lacking a place that she could call her own. What she’d been missing for 23 years, she realized, was that sometimes a person could represent home too, which is what she saw in Rey now. 

Even as Rey kissed her goodbye later that night, a heavy kiss on the front porch surrounded by the moths fluttering around the overhead light, Jess felt as though some part of her had followed Rey down the stairs and into her car. Jess watched as Rey drove away, a metaphorical piece of her in the passenger seat. She dreaded going back into the house, because there, alone, she’d have to face the elephant in the room. 

That elephant would have to wait a while, because Jess was more than content in pretending things could be this perfect forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how this chapter advanced the plot at all except to give you more fluffy Jess and to prolong the wait for the next plot point that I've aleady written lol. Oh and does anyone hate the use of texts in a story like this? If it was annoying, let me know and I'll never do it again. Also, would anyone be opposed/ think it's a horrible idea for me to change the title of this story? I threw 'Racing By' on here but was never in love with it and now I have a better idea... but we're like 8 chapters into the 11 chapters I planned and I don't want to fuck up. Okay I'm done asking for feedback lol. Thanks for reading!


	9. Two Weeks

August was upon them sooner than expected, a time of the year when everything seemed a bit fuzzy around the edges, a consequence of high temperatures. Children played in pools or indoors, the black pavement too hot to ride bikes on by the time lunch rolled around. Even the cows had stopped leaving the shade, the temptation of sweet grass not enough to rouse them. 

This had always been Rey’s least favorite time of year. If July was hot, August was her unbearable sister, trying and succeeding to one up the pleasant heat of early summer. In August, Rey moved a little slower. Everything seemed harder to do with the sun so bright and her eyes unfocused; she’d come back around with the cool clarity of September. 

Two weeks and a day. That’s the amount of time left on their countdown clock to when Rey would be boarding an airplane back to Arizona, leaving behind the newfound comfort of Luke, the farm, and even Finn, who’d decided to stay in Maine. Luke had been more than happy to let Finn stay in the house, as long as he helped on the farm. Rey would be leaving Jess too, who was currently resting her head on Rey’s lap, the two of them seeking shelter under a tree overlooking one of the pastures. 

The day had a forgiving breeze that occasionally blew a bit too strongly, which Luke had claimed meant a storm was coming. For now, the sky was still clear, and the girls were enjoying a rare Saturday together in which the boys hadn’t dragged them along for some new activity, or to hang out at Maz’s diner in town.  
Rey looked down at Jess’s head in her lap, playing with loose locks of her hair. “I can’t believe it’s August already.” She’d mumbled, talking to herself more than anything, but Jess still looked up at her in acknowledgment. 

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Jess smiled, but it was melancholy, both of them knowing where this conversation should be heading.  
Rey traced the shape of Jess’s mouth, smiling when Jess kissed her fingers once they got close enough. They were under a spell, these girls, and Rey knew she’d be the first one to break it. 

“I got my list of books for the semester. We’re going to be reading that Roxane Gay book you like.” Rey started, wondering how she could dance into the conversation without creating a disaster.

“Oh?” Jess humored her, playing with the fingers on Rey’s right hand. 

“Do you think I could borrow your copy? I’ve seen you write notes in the margin.” 

“Sure, anything.” Jess voice was softer than usual, slipping from her like an after thought. 

Rey let the conversation drop again, thinking of ways to bring up what she wanted to say. “Jess.”

“Mm?”

“Let’s talk about it.” Rey didn’t need to be specific, Jess knew exactly what she was getting at.

“I’d rather not.” She turned her head away from Rey, her eyes gilding over the expanse of the farm around them..

“Jess,” Rey grabbed her face, turning it upwards so they could make eye contact. “Come on.”

“We have two weeks.”

“Okay. So when would you prefer to pick this conversation up?” Rey gave her a look, eyebrows raised. 

Jess made a face, pretending to think hard about her answer. “In two weeks.” 

“The day before I leave? That doesn’t exactly seem fair.”

“What do you want to talk about, Rey? You’re leaving, that’s all there is to it.” Jess sat up now, sighing. Rey could already sense her girlfriend starting to shut down. 

“We should talk about our options.” 

“We have options?”

“Like… should we try to do this long distance? Or we could take a break until-”

“Take a break?” Jess cut her off, her spine stiffening. “That’s not what I want.” 

Rey knew she was losing her, having approached a topic she already knew Jess was on edge about. She spent a moment collecting her thoughts, but it must have been a moment too long. 

“Is that what you want?” Jess was searching her face, eyes jumping from one feature to the next. 

“I just… Jess, four years, even on and off, is a long time for me to be gone. If the time comes and you meet another person… I’m just saying that you should go for it. Don’t wait for me.” Rey reached out to grab Jess’s hand, but the other girl pulled it back before she had the chance. 

“Rey I don’t care how long you’re going to be gone for, I want us to stay together. You’re not… trying to break up with me… Are you?” Jess expression was hard to read, a mixture of hurt and anxiety painted along her features. 

“No. Jess, no I’m not.” Rey leaned forward again but Jess backed away further, the two of them traveling backwards across the yard. “Stop backing away from me!”

“Why? Isn’t that what you’re doing to me?” Jess’s tone was becoming harsh, but Rey recognized it as hurt, not the anger someone else would have assumed. 

Rey tripped over her words before Jess spoke again, “What’s today’s date?”

“It’s.. what?” Rey balked, hardly understanding why that information was relevant. 

“What’s today’s date, Rey?” Jess repeated. 

“August 12th.” Rey looked at her girlfriend, confused. “What’s it matter?”

“Huh.” Jess seemed far away, lost in her own mind. It took a moment before she’d made eye contact again with Rey, a fire blazing that hadn’t been there before. “It took just over a month for you to give up on me. Just like everyone else.”

“Jess c’mon.” The statement seemed a bit dramatic, if Rey was being honest. She understood Jess’s abandonment issues, even had them herself, but she wasn’t sure how to get through to Jess that she wasn’t leaving her, that this didn’t have to be the end.

Jess stood up, wiping her pants off with her hands. “I need to go.” 

“Jess,” Rey went to follow her, frustration building at the way the older girl kept trying to walk away. “Jessika, will you fucking listen to me!”

Jess turned at the outburst, her mouth set in a firm line, but Rey could tell she’d startled her. The only time she really heard Rey swear was in the bedroom, and this was certainly a different occasion. 

“Do me a favor and pull your head out of your ass for 30 seconds, okay?” Rey’s voice cracked, her pitch higher than usual. “I don’t want to break up with you, I don’t want to take a break from you. Fuck, Jess, I don’t want to be away from you at all.” Rey was panting, could feel her pulse in the palms of her hands. 

“Then why suggest it?” Jess replied, defeated. 

“Because you deserve better than me,” Rey admitted, wanting to step closer, but stopped herself to avoid making Jess flee like a frightened deer. “Because I want you to find someone that’s here, not three thousand miles away.”

Jess searched Rey’s face, her initial outburst dissolving into hurt feelings. “How about letting me make my own decisions?” Her voice wavered, her emotions threatening to boil over.  
Rey didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that this conversation hadn’t gone the way she’d intended. All she’d managed to do was make Jess think she didn’t want to be with her, which was about as far from the truth as possible. 

Jess took a deep breath before speaking again. “Rey, I… You’re the first good thing to happen to me in years. I still don’t know why you picked me, I never will, but I do know that every time I look at you my heart pounds like it never has for anyone before.” She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that had begun to fall. “I don’t know what we’re going to do in two weeks. I don’t know anything right now except that I’m starting to fall in love with you.”

Jess let the confession hang in the air between them like a balloon in the breeze, words she’d never said before and almost wished she hadn’t now. When Rey didn’t say anything, Jess turned to walk away.

“Jess.” Rey breathed, suddenly remembering that a confession like that deserved a response, but Jess looked back over her shoulder, still moving. 

“Don’t follow me.” 

So Rey watched Jess go, watched Jess take her heart with her across the lawn and past the house, watched her get into her car and drive away. Rey knew that she’d fucked up, but all she could do was sit on the grass and cry, hoping the August sun would burn her up into nothing. 

 

Jess

 

Jess had seen this coming. She’d predicted Rey’s suggestion before Rey herself had even come up with it, as steady and looming as a train on a track. Just like a train, there was nothing Jess could do but get out of the way, letting Rey’s decision barrel past her. 

This was all too common a theme in Jess’s life. People came into her world, made her smile, made her feel alive, and then they left. It was always for different reasons; a knew girlfriend, a better job, or in her father’s case, to find a life in which he didn’t have a gay daughter. Even her mother came and went, not that Jess held it against her, but the arrangement of their life occasionally took it’s toll on Jess. 

The only constant in her life was her best friend, and even though Poe would give her a hard time, he was always the one there to pick up her pieces when someone else had dropped them. 

So as Jess turned onto her street, she passed her own driveway, instead pulling into Poe’s, thanking the stars that his car was there. 

The wind outside whipped at her, the approaching storm matching her mood. Usually she found coincidences like that to be silly, but she wondered if the day’s weather had been a warning to her all along, a gloomy take on fortune telling. Jess marched up the front steps of the Dameron house, not bothering to knock as she entered, shushing Bee as the little dog barked in greeting. 

Jess heard footsteps coming around the corner as she kicked her shoes off, looking up at Poe as he came into view. His typical charming smile was present until he got a good look at her tear stained cheeks, and his expression fell faster than leaves from a tree. They shared a wordless exchange before Jess broke, the tears she’d managed to control in the car coming back with a vengeance. 

Poe sprang into action, hugging her to his chest, letting her fall into his shoulder. He rubbed her back, cooing words of comfort, not bothering to try and get an explanation out of her.  
Finn came around the corner a moment later, searching for his boyfriend. “Poe, who was-”

Poe gave him a look, pointing to the keys hanging on the hook by the door. “Take my car. Go to Rey.”

Poe knew somehow, without hint or explanation, that something had happened between the two girls, and if Jess had run to him, Rey probably needed her best friend too. Finn squeezed Poe’s shoulder and slipped out the front door without another word. 

Jess’s sobs were slowing, the initial build of pent up emotion having spent itself. She removed herself from Poe’s embrace, wiping her face with her shirt sleeve. “Can we sit down?” 

He nodded, following her into the living room, the two of them settling onto the old worn couch in front of the television. They’d spent a lot of time in that spot over the years laughing, crying, and growing older. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time that someone was being consoled over a lover’s quarrel. 

“Want to tell me what happened?” Poe’s voice was soft as he poked Jess leg with his toe, afraid that anything louder might shatter her. 

“I messed up.” Jess whispered, staring just past her friend, her eyes wandering somewhere behind him. 

Poe moved into her line of vision, knowing better than to let Jess retreat into herself. “Elaborate.”

So she explained to him the scene back on Luke’s farm, leaving in every detail, even though Jess would have rather died than relive the day’s events. 

“Jesus, Jess. You told her you love her?” Poe was wide eyed, looking at his best friend as if she was a threat to her own sanity. 

“Technically I said I was starting to fall in love with her.” Jess shrugged, slouching backwards. “Not before I picked a fight about something neither of us have control over.”

Poe sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Can I be brutally honest for a second? No hard feelings?”

“Nothing’s ever stopped you before.”

“Jess... you’re being so selfish in this.” He paused, gauging her reaction before continuing. “You really think Rey wants to go? She just traveled all the way to Maine from Arizona to meet her father who, before this summer, she didn’t know existed. That alone is a lot to take in, let alone meeting someone and falling in love.” 

“She never said she loved me back,” Jess pointed out, raising an eyebrow. 

“Listen, let’s drop the love thing for a second.” Poe adjusted his position, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. “A lot of things changed in Rey’s life this summer and that’s got to be terrifying. No offense, but the last thing she needs is for you to give her a hard time. Rey wants to get an education. She made these plans before she knew any of us existed, Jess. She’s doing the best she can. I don’t know Rey as well as you or Finn, but I can imagine she just wants your support, and all you did today was shut her down.”

Jess opened her mouth to fire back, but she found no fire to throw, no spark left within her. Poe was right. All Rey deserved was Jess’s support, but all Jess had been able to find earlier that day was spite. The skies outside had finally opened, and the silence in the house was broken with the pitter patter of rain against the roof. Jess turned to look out the window, letting the rainfall distract her from how terrible she felt. 

“I was so scared that she wouldn’t want to be with me.” Jess turned to meet Poe’s eyes. “I put my own abandonment issues first.”

Poe placed a gentle hand on her knee. “What happened with your dad all those years ago was fucked, Jess. I get that. But don’t let what he did to you and your mom effect the rest of your life. Rey isn’t leaving you, okay? Rey isn’t like that.”

Jess nodded, putting her own hand of Poe’s on her knee. “You’re right. I wasn’t fair.” She sighed, blowing air out of her cheeks. “I have to fix this, if I can.” 

Jess made a move to stand, but Poe stopped her. “Not now. Give her some time to think this through.”

“What if she doesn’t want to talk to me after today?” 

“That’s her decision to make.” Poe said gently, trying his best to look reassuring. 

Jess sighed again, expelling her anxiety out with her breath. “Okay. What now?”

As if on cue, Poe’s stomach growled, loud enough to be heard over the storm. Jess chuckled a bit, smiling for the first time in hours. 

“Let’s go to get something to eat. That’ll cheer you up.” Poe stood, extending his hands to help Jess up from the sofa. 

They made their way out to their favorite diner despite the rain, ignoring the way their shoes got wet and their hair stuck to their faces, dripping little puddles onto their shirts. The cool water felt nice against Jess’s skin, a welcome contrast to the earlier heat of the day. 

The diner was practically empty once they’d gotten there, looking comically like the abandoned set of an old fifties movie. The owner, a small woman with orange hair who Poe insisted was so old it was humanly impossible, waved them over to a booth in the corner, sending over a basket of fries before they even asked for them. 

Jess was half way through reading the menu, ignoring Poe’s third rant that week about the new Spider-Man movie, when her phone started ringing. Rey’s name was showing on the display, the contact photo a picture of the two of them smiling at the lake house from earlier that summer. She sighed before hitting ‘decline’, tossing her phone back into her bag. 

Poe shot her a look, drowning a fry in some ketchup. “You’re not going to answer that?”

“I’m not ready to talk about it right now. Not over the phone.” Jess took a sip of water, trying to ignore the clenching in her chest. “Anyways, tell me again why Tom Holland is the Spider-Man we all deserved?”

Jess could hear her phone ringing again while Poe spoke, focusing very hard on the age worn table top as if it could distract her from the girl on her mind. She and Rey could have a conversation in person later, instead of over the phone where lack of facial expressions could create misunderstandings.

They were just about to call a waitress over to take their order when Poe’s phone rang, Jess breathing a secret sigh of relief once she realized it wasn’t her own. 

“It’s Finn,” Poe noted before he answered the call. “Hey, buddy.”

Jess was just about to zone out when she heard a frantic voice on the other line, notably feminine and unlike Finn’s. 

“Rey, you’ve gotta slow down,” Poe started, shooting Jess a questioning glance. 

Jess felt her curiosity peak. Why was Rey calling Poe? 

“Is he…” Poe trailed off as his tan skin going pale, the voice on the other line continuing it’s frantic pace. “Rey, stop. Where are you guys?”

Jess’s heart began to jump as she strained her ears to catch a piece of the conversation. 

“Stay there, we’re coming.” Poe hung up, taking out his wallet and throwing a five dollar bill on the table to cover the fries, standing up out of his seat.

“Poe?” Jess tried to get his attention. Despite standing directly in front of her, he seemed a hundred miles away, the color not returning to his cheeks. 

Poe looked at her, choosing his words carefully. Jess could feel the blood draining out of her own face, knowing deep down that something had gone very wrong. 

“Rey and Finn are on their way to the hospital right now. Jess…Han had a heart attack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but I found out that I'd much rather right about happy fluffy women loving women, this was emotionally straining. Also I'm on tumblr now at rebel-forced if you want to follow me!


	10. My Apologies

Rey

Nobody likes hospitals. Rey could count on one hand the amount of times she’d had to visit one, staying as far away from trouble as she could. The scar on her cheek was the ghost of her first trip to the emergency room, the first time she learned that not all dogs are friendly. The jagged mark above her elbow was the guideline from which she learned not to take the long way home after dark (at least not in the neighborhood she grew up in). Rey had spent those hours without a hand to hold, while a doctor with a pretty ponytail and a smile that hid her sympathy would stitch her up without asking questions. No one would ever ask questions when the foster kid walked home in bandages, knowing better than to draw attention to herself.

This particular trip to the hospital was quite different. For one, it wasn’t Rey that was in any kind of danger, but Han, whom after years of ignoring doctors orders was beginning to learn why they’re called orders in the first place, not ‘suggestions’. For another, Rey wasn’t alone. Leia was perched in the chair across from her, staring so hard at the dingy white floor tiles beneath her feet that Rey was wondering if she was asleep with her eyes open. The way the woman was fidgeting with the straps on her purse said otherwise, twisting and straining the fabric enough that they were in danger of snapping. 

Finn was next to Rey, tapping his fingers against the worn plastic of the waiting room chairs, his leg tapping in tandem with his hands, the drum of an anxious man waiting for news. The three of them were sitting in torturous silence, too worried to force small talk, every topic seeming too trivial to bother with. Rey was staring at the television in the corner, her eyes unfocused as soap opera played, the sound set low, a dull murmur in the background. 

A different scene was playing in Rey’s head, one far scarier than anything a television show could produce, one who’s ending could change the course of her life again. It played so vividly that she could feel it like a vision instead of a memory, something she could reach out and grab. 

She and Finn had decided to go to the shop to work on the car. The argument with Jess had left her shaken, and when Rey was stressed she needed something to do with her hands, as if busying them would quiet the frantic pace of her thoughts. They’d started to hear the shouting before entering through the glass door, the fragile panes vibrating from the noise inside. Finn had stopped her from opening the door, suggesting that maybe they should wait outside. The last thing either of them wanted to do was escalate the situation or become involved.  
Rey could make out the voices of Han and Ben, but was struggling to understand what they were saying. Clips of sound were floating outside, something about “not deserving that” and “she’s worked too hard”, but nothing made sense out of context. Rey paced around for about five minutes, packing down a circle in the dusty gravel, before she’d had enough, ignoring Finn’s sounds of protest as she whipped the door open. 

Ben and Han didn’t even look at their new company, continuing to swing hateful sentences at each other, their words doing more harm than a well aimed fist would. Ben was shaking, his breathing heavy and exaggerated as he took a step closer to his father, his shaggy black hair sticking to his forehead. 

“Jess doesn’t deserve a promotion like that. I’m your son, it should go to me.” Ben spat at Han, his disrespect overflowing into the air, illuminating the tension around them. 

“If you’re my son, start acting like it. Jess is more a daughter to me than you’ve been since you starting following around Hux and his gang. Get over yourself.” Han’s voice was strained and he was starting to lean over a bit funny, as if the weight of the world was suddenly on his shoulders. 

The following moments had been a blur, and if Finn hadn’t been there Rey isn’t sure that an ambulance would have been called. Somewhere in the panic she’d blacked out mentally, but remembered Finn catching Han as he collapsed, could hear him yelling at Ben as the brooding figure retreated out the back door. 

The EMTs explained that it was a heart attack as they loaded Han into the back of the ambulance, reassuring them that he’d be taken care of as Rey felt the blood draining out of her face. 

She knew that Finn was holding her hand, but she couldn’t feel it. Everything had gone hazy and cold, like standing in the dark during a snow storm. 

She’d managed to gather herself somewhere on the way to the hospital, clarity striking her like ice water as she realized they’d need to call Jess, and then realized immediately after that 

Jess probably wouldn’t answer a phone call from Rey. The unanswered rings still echoed in her eardrums, the shrill notes saying more than words could. It had been Finn’s idea to call Poe, and Rey felt her heart burst as she heard Poe’s steady tenor on the other line. 

Now, in the liminal fog of the hospital’s waiting room, she could practically hear herself counting the seconds until Jess and Poe arrived, for that was something she could count on, unlike the verdict of Han’s health. They were playing a waiting game that Rey was already getting sick of. 

She was about to suggest they go for a walk, a last ditch effort to get Finn to quit his insipid tapping, when two people that she needed to see the most came in through the sliding doors of the ER. Poe looked shell shocked, his hair dripping and stuck to his face, the only time Rey had ever seen him anything but photo shoot ready. Jess was no better. There was no way to decipher whether the water on her face was rain or tears, but she was wiping her face either way, letting Poe steer her by the elbow. 

“Leia!,” Jess choked out, running over to Leia and resting on her knees in the chair next to the older woman, hugging her over the plastic arm. They held each other for a moment, Leia letting a tear of her own slip into the heather grey material of Jess’s sweatshirt. Poe sat down next to Finn, who wrapped an arm around his boyfriend protectively.

“He should be okay,” Leia stated as she pulled away, sniffling while she gained her composure. “The doctors are hopeful. They’re running tests right now, so all we have to do is wait.” 

“What happened?” Poe asked, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. 

Finn launched into the story, not being kind in any of his description of Ben. Rey watched Leia flinch at the words, but if they’d offended her, she made no move to correct Finn. Rey wondered how a son could speak with such cruelty to his father. Even more, how a son could walk away from Finn’s distressed yells, or ignore his own mother’s frantic voice mails. 

“I’m going to kill him.” Poe tensed. He would have stood if Finn didn’t still have an arm around him. 

“No, I’m going to kill him.” Jess met his eyes, her cheeks flushed with anger. 

Finn sighed, pulling Poe in and kissing the damp curls on the top of his head. “No one is killing anyone. Ben’s not worth the jail time.” He blushed, bashfully meeting Leia’s eyes. “No offense, ma’am.”

“Unfortunately, I’m inclined to agree.” Leia shook her head as she took Jess’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “None of you are going to do anything, no one is going to jail over my familial dramatics. The Solos are not your problem.” 

Rey snorted without humor, everyone turning towards her. “Considering we’re family, I suppose I’m immune to that statement. Ben quite literally is my problem.”

Leia shrugged, “Welcome to the family. We’re very dramatic.”

Rey mustered the best smile she could, tucking her legs up against her chest. “Is my dad on his way?”

Her aunt nodded. “He’s closing up the barn for the storm and then he’ll be here. I told him not to rush.”   
Rey sighed, nodding. Poe was pressing himself against Finn in a way that made her incredibly bitter that she and Jess had fought just hours before. She began to feel chilled and alone under the sterile wind of the hospital air conditioning, risking a glance over at her girlfriend who was warped into a very similar position in her own chair. They locked eyes briefly, but Jess looked away, pretending to find interest in the same floor tiles that Leia had been studying earlier. 

Rey, feeling a bravery that was more than likely just fueled by her intense anxiety and boredom, was about to ask Jess to go for a walk so they could have a conversation, when Jess herself spoke up. 

“Poe.”

“Mm?”

“Go see if the nurse will give you an update on Han.”

“Why me?” 

“You’re the charming one, I don’t know. She’ll probably fall in love with you and tell you anything you want to hear.” 

Leia looked up, hiding the amusement in her voice. “Jess, they’ll give us information when they have it.” 

Jess pretended to pout, raising an eyebrow at Poe, challenging him in a way that he’d never refuse. 

“Fine,” he hissed at her, running a hand through his hair before turning to look at Finn to make sure he looked okay. 

Finn gave him a thumbs up and a wink, chuckling a little as Poe walked over to the nurse’s station where a woman sat, staring at her computer. Poe leaned across the counter, his brightest and biggest smile (which even Rey would begrudgingly admit would totally work on her) plastered onto his face. The nurse looked up slowly from her computer screen, her face already tinted with the irritation of a woman that had to work with the public all day. Poe said something to her, too far away for the rest of them to hear, tousling the curls piled on top of his head.   
Rey thought whatever he’d said might actually be working, but she was proven wrong when the nurse’s expression never changed. Instead, she turned to look past Poe, pointing across the room at Finn, who sat up straighter in confusion. Poe blushed, nodding as he said something that must have been an apology before turning to walk back to them, defeated. 

“Thanks for the forehead kiss earlier, Finn. You ruined my façade.” Poe sighed as he dropped into the seat beside his boyfriend. 

Rey giggled at them, throwing an exaggerated look of sympathy in Poe’s direction. 

“I guess I’ll go try,” Jess decided, shaking her own hair out of it’s braid, the long waves dancing down her back. 

“What makes you think she’s gay?” Poe contested, looking up at Jess as she stood. 

Jess snickered, “If she was able to turn you down, she’s got to be.” She walked away towards the nurse’s station without waiting for a response. 

“Huh. That’s the nicest thing she’s ever said about me.” Poe watched her go while Finn and Leia laughed. 

The four of them watched as Jess sauntered up to the counter, her hair tossed over her shoulder. Jess leaned up onto her tip toes in a way she knew was endearing as she greeted the same nurse that Poe had spoken to, the crooked smile Rey knew she reserved for flirting was on her face. The young woman on the other side of the desk was pretty, Rey noted, with curly blonde hair piled into a messy bun on the back of her head. A pang of jealousy came out of nowhere, despite Rey knowing that this was a game and Jess was acting. 

Jess said something to the nurse before dipping her finger under the woman’s nametag, raising it just enough to read the name printed there. Instead of backing up, like Rey predicted she would, the nurse smiled, looking down at Jess’s hand and then up at her face. Jess leaned her hips into the desk, perching herself there so that she was closer to her target. Whatever she said next made the nurse laugh as Jess pointed over her shoulder at the four of them, running a hand through her hair.

“Bingo.” Poe murmured as the nurse stood, following Jess back over to the group of them. Jess was smiling in victory as the woman walked behind her, sticking her tongue out at Poe. 

“Mrs. Solo?” The young nurse was looking in Leia’s direction, her expression tinted with the knowledge that she was breaking hospital regulation. 

“Organa. I kept my last name when we got married.” Leia nodded for her to continue. 

“Yes ma’am. We have your husband in stable condition for now. They’re running tests, but I really can’t tell you more until we have results. That’s why no one’s been out to talk to you. I’m sorry for the wait.”

Leia gave her best version of a smile. “There’s no need for apologies. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop these kids from bothering you.” 

Poe and Jess smirked at each other, but stopped once Leia shot them a look. The nurse nodded and turned to walk away. 

“Thanks Lucy,” Jess winked, and Rey could have sworn she saw the woman, apparently named Lucy, blush as she turned around. 

“Jessika Pava, you’re my hero.” Poe confessed dramatically as Jess sat back down, satisfied with herself.

“So Han’s okay?” Rey spoke up, attempting to change the subject. 

“At least for now.” Leia confirmed, crossing her legs and sighing. “Well I feel a little better.”

“Same here.” Rey agreed, her eyes over Jess as the other girl was typing something into her phone. When Jess looked up, Rey turned her head, hoping she hadn’t noticed her staring. 

One of Rey’s biggest faults, at least the one she’d admit to, was being too stubborn when it came to apologizing. While sitting there in the waiting room, she had all the time in the world to pull Jess aside and have a conversation, but for some reason she was all too content in just sitting and stewing in the words she wished she could say. 

If Jess wanted to apologize, then Rey would let her. For now, Rey was content staring at the god forsaken floor tiles, counting the seconds until her father showed up. 

 

Jess

 

Jess would never complain about being bored ever again. It was one thing to be bored in your own house, when one could walk around without pants on or yell at the TV without being judged. There’s something completely different about being bored in a hospital where the cell service sucks, the magazines are old, and your girlfriend keeps pretending she’s not staring at you. It was the latter that was keeping her on edge. Any other occasion would have her thrilled to be the subject of Rey’s glances, but the earlier events of the day just made the game irritating, even more so than the way Finn was tapping his hand against his chair. 

“I’m going to step outside,” Jess stood, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She didn’t wait for anyone to respond, needing to be out in the fresh air, away from the tight space of the waiting room. 

The rain was still coming down as she walked through the doors, little puddles forming in the flower beds where water was pooling off of the over hang that Jess sat herself under. One of the hydrangea plants in front of her happened to be placed right under one of those streams of water, and Jess almost laughed as she watched the flower being pummeled against the ground from the force. It was alarmingly similar to the day she herself was having.

Jess started rooting through her bag, hoping with every bit of life left in her that she’d remembered to toss her box of American Spirits in there before she’d left the house that morning, but came up empty. Sighing, she leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes to the day that didn’t seem to be getting any better. 

“Did you forget something?” 

Jess jumped a little, turning to look at who’d spoken. It was Finn, holding a cigarette out to her, a smirk on his face. Jess smiled, taking it from him. “You said you don’t smoke.”

Finn shrugged, lighting his own before handing her the lighter. “So did you.” 

Jess inhaled deeply, letting the smoke suffocate some of her anxiety. They were quiet for a moment, taking in the peace and quiet, glad not to be stuck inside anymore. 

“I used to tell Poe I was going to start smoking these two at a time. Shorten the life sentence.”

Finn chuckled, leaning against the wall next to her. “What changed your mind?”

“I found a couple things to live for.” Jess flicked the end of her cigarette, watching the ash crumble to the ground. The orange embers turned black as they fell onto the damp concrete. 

Finn gave her a look, asking her to elaborate. 

“My job. Everything Han has done for me.” She took a deep breath at the mention of his name. Just a while before Jess had faced the reality that she might lose him, the danger of the situation not lost on her. 

“He’s going to be okay, you know.” Finn’s tone was soft, comforting. 

Jess’s felt tears threaten to bubble over again, huffing before she spoke. “How do you know?” Her voice was small, clipped in the way a person’s voice is when they’re trying not to cry. 

“Honestly? I don’t. But it’s what we all need to hear right now.” 

Jess nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. She turned her head as she wiped it away, resentful that it was there. 

“Come here.” Finn tossed his cigarette, stepping forward to pull Jess into a hug. She leaned into her friend, and despite only being three inches shorter than him, Jess was able to disappear into his chest in a way that made her feel safe for the first time all day. 

“I was really scared,” She cried, squeezing her arms around Finn’s middle. “I’ve had a really bad day.” 

“It’s gonna work out.” Finn whispered into her dark hair, words meant only for her. 

Jess sniffled, sighing into the fabric of his sweatshirt. “No offense… But I really wish you were Rey.” 

Finn chuckled, pulling back to look at her face. “Rey wishes she were me right now too.” 

“Even now?” Jess questioned. “After I said all of that stupid shit?”

“Jess.” Finn leaned against the wall, rubbing a hand over his face. “Rey is so fucking into you. Whether she’s in Arizona, or in Maine, she’s going to want to be with you.” 

“But she said-”

“She was trying to give you a way out, because she can’t imagine that someone like you would want to stay. Kids like Rey and I… we have a hard time accepting that people might see good in us.”

“That’s all there is to see.” Jess admitted, shaking her head at Finn. 

“Rey is kind. Rey is too forgiving, and emotional, and sensitive. But she’s also stubborn, intense, closed off. Rey is stronger than she seems, Jess. You didn’t break her. I once saw her kick a guy in the teeth at a bar because he pushed a woman out of his way.” Finn shook his head, clearing away the memory. “However upset you think you made her, I'm just saying, don't underestimate her. She really likes you.” 

“Good. I don’t want a way out.” 

“Then tell her.” Finn held out his hand, shaking his head in the direction of the hospital. 

“Now?” Jess questioned as she slipped her hand into his, awkwardly following him back into the building. 

“Now.” 

Jess considered, briefly, digging in her heels and running from the situation completely. But Finn was right, now or never. 

Rey looked up as they walked in, their shoes squeaking from the rain they’d tracked into the waiting room. Jess gulped as they made eye contact, not sure how to break the silence, but not wanting to walk away. 

“Rey,” she started, thinking quick on her feet. “I’m going to try and find some coffee. Come with me?”

Poe was looking at her like she had six heads, but that she didn’t let that bother her since Rey was nodding, standing up from her uncomfortable plastic chair.   
Leia was glancing back and forth between the two women, attuned to the to the tension but unaware of the context, and Jess knew that she was going to ask Poe to explain the second she and Rey were out of ear shot. 

Jess wasn’t quite sure where to start. She knew, inherently, that the situation required for her apology to be first. Rey was owed that much. Unfortunately, all of the words in her vocabulary had been muddled beneath the cloud of emotion in her mind. Jess shook her head to find some clarity, trying to capture one coherent sentence to start with.

“Did you want to take this walk in silence, or are we going to start talking to each other?” Anyone else would have taken the opportunity to be snarky or sarcastic, but Rey said the words with noticeable softness. Rey had every right in the world to be annoyed, and Jess was floored by her constant patience. 

“No, I’m sorry. I’m trying to figure out where to start.” 

Rey nodded, accepting the reason without dramatics. They passed by a woman around Leia’s age with a small boy in her arms, young enough that he must have been her grandson. The little boy smiled at them, his blonde curls bouncing with his grandma’s steps, waving with a chubby pink hand. Rey cooed as they walked by, returning his smile with a dazzling one of her own. 

Jess felt a wave of affection for her girlfriend, her own stubborn resolve beginning to crack and fade. “How are you always like this?” Jess questioned, wanting nothing more than to slip her hand into Rey’s as she looked over at her. 

“Like what?” Rey gave her a look as they stopped in front of the elevator. 

Jess pressed the button, illuminating a red circle around the metal. “You’re just so kind. Babies like you and animals are drawn to you like you’re some kind of Disney princess. I wish I was more like that.”

“I’m not always so kind. You just haven’t been around long enough to see me at my worst.” A ding indicated the arrival of the elevator, and Jess snorted as they walked in through the open doors. 

“You are too always like that.” Jess leaned against the wall, the cool steel chilling her back. 

Rey gave her a sideways glance before she sighed, leaning against the opposite wall to face Jess. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Jess.” 

Ouch. Jess nodded silently, looking down at her feet. She wasn’t sure how she was managing it, but she was royally fucking up their relationship today. The only sound in the elevator was the soft beep indicating each passing floor, getting closer each time to the hospital cafeteria. 

“I just really want to tell you that I’m sorry.” Jess’s voice was hushed, embarrassed. 

Rey was looking at her, she could feel it, but wasn’t brave enough yet to meet her eyes. “That’s it?”

Jess shrugged, feeling small. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“An apology typically indicates what the person is sorry for. And the apologizer is typically big enough to look the person in the eye while they say it.” 

Double ouch. Rey walked out of the elevator in a huff as the doors opened, causing Jess to trot after her to keep up. So much for being kind and patient, she thought, watching Rey’s ponytail swish from side to side. 

“Rey, c’mon.” Jess caught up to her, grabbing Rey’s elbow. Rey wrenched it out of her grasp, a fire in her eyes that hadn’t been there a moment before. 

“No Jess, you c’mon! I’m not interested in this conversation if it’s just going to be an extension of the pity party you put on earlier today.”

Jess flinched, her feelings hurt. A couple bystanders in the hallway were looking at them, Rey's volume drawing attention to their discussion. Ultimately, she knew that Rey was exactly right. She was throwing her own pity party, which made her think back to what Poe had said just hours ago. Jess was being selfish, and apparently Rey was beginning to have enough. 

 

“Alright.” Jess nodded, composing herself. “You’re right, Rey. I’ve been really selfish.”

Rey snorted, rolling her eyes in a manner that was more cruel than usual. 

“I let too much of my issues from the past effect how I’m handling this.”

“You could say that.”

Jess closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to stay composed. “The way I reacted this morning was uncalled for. I should be supporting you, not taking this out on you. I’m really proud that you want to go to school, you know? I never went, neither did Poe. And I can’t imagine what you must be feeling, after this summer. You’ve got a new dad, a new home… This has all got to be really overwhelming for you.”

Rey nodded, holding her ground, but her silence was Jess’s permission to continue. 

“This morning, I took my own insecurities out on you, when I should have been supporting you. You’re an amazing, bright, beautiful girl. Can you see why I panicked?” Jess took a step forward, stepping out of the center of the hallway. “You were offering me a way out, weren’t you?”

Rey swallowed before nodding again. “You aren’t the only one with insecurities, Jess.”

“I know. But Rey, I don’t want a way out. I can’t imagine a world where I want our relationship to end. Everything I said this morning was an overreaction fueled by my crazy brain.”

Jess paused to search Rey’s face. The expression there was hard to read, belonging to someone in between resentment and forgiveness. 

"When my dad left, he packed my trust and my sanity into a little box, and when he never came home, I never got those back. Now that's not an excuse for what happened today, but it's a reason. You deserve as much as that." 

Rey was chewing on her lip, the words she wanted to say brewing in the back of her throat. "I appreciate that. I can’t be mad at you for any of that either, Jess, but I can’t allow you to shut me out because you’re scared. This will never work if you don’t level with me, okay?”

Jess sighed with relief, her shoulders slumping. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Rey.”

“I forgive you.” Rey paused, anxiously shifting from one foot to the next. “Not to move on from that, but I think there's a bigger conversation that needs to happen here. Are you with me?" 

"Of course." 

"You said something big earlier today... and I've thought about what I should have said to you, while we waited here." 

Jess looked like she was holding back vomit, bracing herself for the rejection of the century. 

"Love is a big word. It's been too big for my vocabulary for 19 years." 

"Rey, I'm sorry. I said something in the heat of the moment and-" 

Rey held up a hand, "We're done apologizing for today. Let me finish." She chewed on her words for a moment, struggling to meet Jess's eyes. "I've never been in love before. I've never even felt familial love before, not until this summer. I'm kind of overwhelmed." Rey paused, as if she hadn't realized this until she confessed it aloud. "What you've given me this summer, Jess... it could be love. I just don't know. But you don't deserve to hear me say it until I know I mean it. Not until I understand what this means." 

Rey grabbed Jess's hand, placing it over her heart. "Not until I understand why my heart beats this fast every time I look at you." 

They stared at each other for a moment, the ambient sounds and energies of the hospital calming to a lull. Rey was getting lost in Jess, stepping closer to her almost as if they were being drawn be some magnetic force. In a way, they were, two women drawn together like waves to the shore, coming back together no matter how many times they were pushed away.

Jess's eyes were dancing around Rey's features like she was examining a piece of art, back and forth from eyebrows to lips. “Can I kiss you?”

Rey’s breath audibly caught in her throat, but she recovered, the corners of her mouth quirking up a bit. 

“Please.” Rey dipped forward, catching Jess lips to experience the first good thing that would happen that day. She inhaled Jess's presence, reveling in a kiss she'd previously thought may never happen again. 

"Excuse me!" A nurse bustled by them, breaking the spell they'd been under. They broke apart to step out of her way, their hands remaining in contact. 

Jess looked up at Rey’s face, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of relief she was feeling.

"So you're okay?" Jess questioned, playing with Rey's fingers. 

"Now that you’re kissing me again, yes." 

Jess nodded. "So in a couple weeks, when you leave...?" She let the sentence trail, hoping Rey would finish it off for her.

"So when I leave, I'll write you letters, because texting isn't enough."

"But we'll do that to?" 

"Yes, we'll do that too." 

"And we can FaceTime?" 

"We can talk on the phone, even. There are so many ways you'll get to hear my voice." Rey smiled at Jess, cupping her cheek with one hand and brushing her hair behind her ear with another. 

"I want to be able to touch you." Jess danced her fingers up Rey's arm, bringing her hand to a rest on her shoulder. 

"There's no app for that yet." Rey finally broke a smile. "Maybe some day. I'll be back for Thanksgiving, and you can touch me all you want." 

Jess was blushing, letting herself get lost in the moment. Her expression was a little far away, dreamy even, and it made Rey laugh. 

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Actually I was just thinking about that coffee we were on our way to get.”

Rey gave her a look, amused. 

“It’s been a really long day, okay?”

Rey just laughed again, linking her arm with Jess’s. “Alright, let’s go get some coffee. We’ll need it, if we have to sit in that waiting room for much longer.”

Jess sighed, leaning into Rey as they walked. “Any ideas on how to get Finn to stop tapping his fingers?”

Rey thought for a moment before shrugging, “We might just have to make him wait outside.”

It was Jess’s turn to laugh, eager and relieved. 

“Oh, and stop flirting with Lucy the nurse.” Rey shot her a look of mock irritation, the twitch at the corner of her mouth giving her away.

“What can I say, baby girl? The ladies love me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what happens after someone has a heart attack but now my search history is quite interesting. Also, let's talk about all of the Entertainment Weekly content we got this week??? Like??? I'm screaming?? I can't wait to see Rey smile at a porg, I'm going to die.


	11. The Girls of Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our final installment. <3

Laughter, good food, and family. Three things on the list of many more that Rey never thought she’d get to cherish the way she was currently, curled up in her aunt and uncle’s living room on the couch with a cup of coffee. Chewie was on the floor, chewing on someone’s shoe (which she hoped belonged to Ben), while Luke and Han sat watching pre season football on the television. Leia was in the kitchen clearing up after the dinner she’d made, welcoming Han home from his hospital stay. The older man had been lucky to escape with little more than medication and a stern order from the doctors to work and worry less. So far he’d only been successful in the former. 

There was a weight on the couch cushion behind her, and Rey turned to see Jess settle into the spot there. They exchanged a shy smile, and if it hadn’t been for her uncle sitting across the way, Rey knows Jess would have snuggled up into her back, keeping their bodies in contact the way she’d been all weekend. The attention was comforting, and Rey felt herself beginning to reach out to Jess out of habit; two pinkies interlocked or legs in another’s lap. They were intertwined constantly, both physically and emotionally. 

Rey found herself staring at Jess, taking in the set of her features, committing them to memory as her girlfriend bantered with Han over the football players who’s names she didn’t recognize. Jess caught her gaze and smiled, poking her ribs teasingly trough the soft cotton of her shirt. 

“You can’t honestly be interested in this?” Rey accused, jerking her head towards the television. 

Jess shrugged, running a hand through her hair. “You’d be surprised. Football is what bonded Han and I in the first place.” Her dark eyes shot a glance at the two men on the opposite couch, before leaning forward to whisper in Rey’s ear, “I’m far more interested in how good you look in that tshirt.”

Rey blushed, looking down as Jess sat back with a smirk, her focus again on the screen. Rey realized, as she ran her fingers over the Fleetwood Mac logo, that the shirt she was wearing belonged to Jess, borrowed during an impromptu sleepover. 

She cleared her throat as she stood, addressing anyone that was listening. “I’m going to help Leia in the kitchen.” 

The older woman looked up as Rey walked in, nodding over to the coffee pot by the fridge, elbow deep in soapy water. “There’s still some coffee left. Get it before your father does.”

Rey’s thoughts brewed as she poured herself a refill, watching the steam rise and curl in the air. There was silence as she stirred sugar in, aside from the clank of the spoon against the ceramic mug, staring at Jess through the pass through in the wall from the kitchen to the living room. 

“Leia, can I ask you a question?”

Her aunt shrugged, “No, you wouldn’t have collected a large sum of money from Han if he’d died.” 

Rey laughed at the dark humor, sitting up onto the counter top. “That wasn’t my question, but I appreciate your honesty.”

“Well I am nothing if not honest.” Leia said. A soap bubble clung to her shirt, a little ring of moisture settling there that went ignored. “What do you want to ask?”

Rey sighed, kicking her feet softly against the cabinet beneath her. “How did you know that you were in love with Han?”

Leia raised her eyebrows, surprised but not put off by Rey’s inquiry. “I don’t think I realized I was until it had already happened.” She scrubbed at a spot with a yellow sponge, putting effort into the action. “Han was a real pain in my ass at first. Did he tell you how we met?”

Rey shook her head, “No, he didn’t.”

“My father, your grandfather, not by blood mind you, but he’s better than what we had by nature, owned a hardware store downtown. I’d work there in the summertime to help out, figured it kept me busier than the girls getting skin cancer at the beach. Your uncle would come in every day from June to August looking to by anything. Wire, tape, door knobs, bird seed… I swear one summer he had me copy the same key seven times just so he could talk to me.”

“And that annoyed you?”

Leia shook her head, “There was something about him. He was cocky. Scruffy looking. Sure of himself. Up until then I’d convinced myself that humility was a virtue and that anyone with a smile like Han’s had to be hiding something.”

Rey smiled, “What was he hiding?”

“A really big heart,” Leia said matter of factly, lying the pot on a dishtowel to dry. “Once I stopped shying away from Han, I realized that I’d been prolonging the inevitable. Sometimes the things we wanted the most are hiding behind everything we thought we wanted the least.” 

“Han’s a good man.” Rey nodded, warmed by the story. 

“He sure is,” Leia replied softly, looking into the living room at her husband. Han look up then, meeting her eyes. He nodded in greeting, laughing when Leia flipped him off instead of smiling back. 

Jess looked over at the two of them in the kitchen as well, meeting Rey’s gaze with a dazzling smile. Rey felt her ears burn as she looked away, turning her attention back to Leia. 

“You love her.” Leia stated, her tone even. It was not a question, just a statement of the obvious. 

Rey paused, staring at her aunt. “Uh. Maybe? How did you know th-?”

“It wasn’t hard for any of us to figure out that you two were together.” Leia raised a brow, crossing her arms. “Us old folks are pretty in tune with you young kids too, you know.”

“Or Luke told you.” Rey said, raising a brow of her own.

“Yes, your father told us.”

“Us?”

Leia raised her eyebrows, the expression on her face making her resemble her brother, “As if Han doesn’t also know.” 

“…Oh.” Rey got quiet, leaning back against the wooden cabinet behind her. “He’s not mad?” 

Leia made a face, waving her words away. “God no. He just wants Jess to be happy. You too.”

Rey nodded, taking the information in. Well, so much for worrying about that. Jess was laughing, the sound twinkling into the kitchen from the living room. Rey was happy to hear it, in light of the weekend’s events. “Need help with those dishes?”

“Well you sure did take your time asking.”

Rey laughed and stepped into place next to her aunt, letting soap bubbles crawl up her arms. 

Han walked into the kitchen a while later, just as Leia and Rey were finishing up. His pace was slower than usual, but his insistence on being self sufficient let them all know he’d be alright. 

“What’s your departure date, kid?” He rested his body against the counter, taking a break from standing. 

“About a week and a half. Give or take.” Rey wiped her hands with a towel, tossing it aside when she was done. Her tone was melancholy and she knew it, but she sincerely didn’t have it in her to pretend she was excited. 

“Jess is going to miss you.” Han said pointedly, watching as Rey quirked her eyebrows, confused. 

“I’ll be back for Thanksgiving.” She swallowed, trying to feign positivity. 

Han saw through it, because he gave her the same look that her dad gave her whenever she wasn’t being truthful. “You could stay.”

“Han.” Leia warned, but he continued on. 

“I’m going to need help. The doctors told me to cool it, and while I’d rather have that happen over my dead body, that’s apparently a real possibility.” He paused as Leia shot him a look. “I’ve already promoted Jess, so she’ll be taking care of the paper end, but I’ll be damned if I leave Poe Dameron in charge of the rest.”

It took Rey a moment to understand what her uncle was offering, but the realization made her smile. “Are you offering me a job?”

Han shrugged, “I wouldn’t be nice to you. Doesn’t pay much.”

Rey smiled, crossing her arms. “You’re offering me a job.” 

“I’m thinking about it. Chewie seems to like you.”

A rush of exciting energy swept through her, the possibility of staying where she’d found home at the tip of her fingers. Reality however, always pleasant, cast shade over her good opportunity. 

“But school…”

“Could always be done here.” Luke walked in, dropping a can of beer into the bin. “You and I have talked about this.”

“You knew Han was going to offer me this?” Rey asked, another smile brewing. 

“I hoped. We really want to keep you around, Rey.” His tone was fatherly, in a way that felt commanding, but soft enough that Rey truly knew that he meant it. 

They wanted her to stay. This family, one that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They wanted her here, in Maine. 

“But Luke…” She bit her lip, focusing on something caught between the floor tiles. 

“The deposit? Fuck the deposit.” Rey looked up at him, shocked by the profanity. “We’ll get it back. Or not, I’ll write you a check.”

Luke walked forward, hugging her. “Have we convinced you enough yet?” 

“I think Muffin the cow might miss you too.” Jess was leaning over the opening between the kitchen and the living room, her arms crossed and resting on the ledge. “You should stay.”

Rey pulled away from her father to look at Jess, who cleared her throat before continuing, “For Muffin, of course. You should stay for Muffin.”

A laughter rippled through the room, breaking the tension of those waiting for Rey to just give it up. 

“Okay.” She nodded, absolutely sure of herself for the first time in a while. “I’m staying.” 

 

Jess

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you got promoted.” Rey breathed, her tone uneven. 

“I’m doing my best work here, and you want to talk about my job?” Jess picked her head up from where she was sucking on Rey’s neck, the younger girl sprawled beneath her on the couch. 

Rey giggled, bringing a hand up and tangling it in the hair at the nape of Jess’s neck. “Sorry. I’m just so excited that I get to stay, you know?”

Jess did know. Presently, she was trying to show Rey just how much she definitely did know. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. When we actually go to work.” She leaned forward, catching Rey’s lips with her own. 

Rey took the bait (finally) and let Jess explore her body now that they were in the privacy of Jess’s home. Han and Leia had been incredibly accommodating, but Jess had spent the evening just wanting to touch Rey, in ways far too scandalous for a family dinner. 

Jess worked her way down Rey’s neck again, leaving tiny nips across the suntanned skin of her collarbone. Rey’s tshirt was suddenly very in the way, so Jess let her hands creep under the fabric, feeling the soft plane of her girlfriend’s stomach. She lowered herself, kissing and kneading Rey, treasuring the fact that she was here, and present, and staying. 

“Do you think Poe will be mad I got the job and he didn’t?” 

“Okay.” Jess sat up, flipping her hair back away from her face. “I’m officially turned off.”

“Babe, I’m sorry,” Rey was laughing at Jess’s pout, and crawled into her lap, kissing her cheek over and over. “Answer my question.”

“No, Poe won’t be mad.” Jess sighed, “He’d be better at being in charge than he let’s up, but he won’t resent you.” 

“And Snap?”

“Should never be in charge of anything… ever.” 

Rey laughed, pressing her hips down into Jess’s. Jess groaned, reaching her arms around Rey to pull her closer. “I’m out of questions.” 

“Thank god.” Jess claimed, burying herself into her girlfriend’s chest. 

“You can fuck me now.” 

“Thank GOD.” Jess flipped them over, pinning Rey under her again. 

Fuck her, she did. 

……

Walking into work without Han seemed foreign, as if Jess had forgotten something really important at home and would have to spend the day without it. Thankfully, they’d been able to make it through the first week without any major disasters (aside from the quart of oil Snap had managed to kick and spill across the shop floor). 

The daily calendar on the desk showed that today was August 29th. The countdown clock wired into Jess’s brain had officially dissipated, thankfully, for it was no longer needed. In a crueler world, Rey would have boarded an airplane today, but instead Jess got to watch her sweat over the engine of a wicked old Ford Falcon. Not great for productivity, but really great for Jess’s sex drive.

There was a knock on the door frame as Jess shut the computer down for the night, deciding that anything left could be saved for tomorrow. Finn walked in, leaning against the wall, grease stains curiously in the shape of Poe’s hand prints dotting the front of his shirt. 

“Rey is about to start up the Falcon, if you want to come watch.” 

“Is it done?” Jess was surprised, the heap of junk hadn’t looked very promising even a week ago. 

Finn smiled, nodding. “I wouldn’t bother you if it wasn’t, boss lady.”

Jess snorted, shoving him as she passed. “That’s Miss Boss Lady, to you.” 

They joined the crowd on the shop floor, Rey wiping the closed hood of the Falcon as though a speck of dirt would be what stalled the engine. 

“Quit while you’re ahead, baby girl. Poe’s going to start using that as a mirror.” Jess teased, coming to stand by Poe in the circle. 

He elbowed her, mocking offense, as Rey smiled in her direction. “I think she’s ready.” 

“Start her up!” Snap shouted, twirling a rag in the air. 

Rey took a deep breath before walking over to the driver’s side door. Jess followed her, leaning into the car through the open window. 

“It’s totally fine if she doesn’t start, you know that right? We’ve got plenty of time to work on her.” Jess reassured Rey, resting her chin on her forearms. 

Rey looked at her, eyebrows raised. “She’s going to start.” Her eyes dodged around for a second before she leaned in and whispered, “She has to. I bet Snap 100 bucks that she would.”

Jess barked a laugh, standing and slapping the roof of the car. “Alright, start her up then.”

The all held a cumulative breath as Rey turned the key in the ignition. The engine shuddered, and then groaned to life for the first time in months. The group cheered, hollering and clapping at Rey’s incredible success. 

“Listen to her purr!” Rey shouted, her smile more dazzling than any fireworks had been on the 4th of July. 

Jess swooped down and kissed her through the window, both of them grinning the entire time. “More like a cough, but I’ll let you have it. I’m so proud of you, Rey.”

She really was proud of Rey. Proud of her dedication to the vehicle, of her dedication to change her life, of the way Rey could always see the positive in things. Jess was incredibly proud of Rey, and as she watched her girlfriend’s eyes twinkle with accomplishment, Jess could hardly believe how lucky she’d been that the summer had plopped Rey right into Jess’s lap. 

Something had brought Rey to Jess, and she thanked her lucky stars that it had all worked out. Rey had been the first to stay, and Jess loved her for it. 

 

Rey

It was dark, the only source of light coming from the porch. Somewhere in the trees beyond the pastures, an owl was calling out into the night, his song blending with the hum of late summer beetles. When she inhaled, Rey could sense the air becoming cooler than it had been in the previous months, bringing the clarity she had been longing for. 

Jess was perched next to her on the ground, the two of them cushioned by the soft grass, their hands intertwined, the only place their bodies were making contact. The stars above them were shockingly bright, no clouds or fog to block the girls’ view of them, millions of miles away. It was the one thing that Maine had to offer Rey that she’d missed of Arizona; a clear night sky, with billions of stars shining above her. She sighed peacefully, letting her eyes bounce from one to the next, finally landing on Jess’s face next to her.   
Jess was already staring back. 

Rey smiled at her, still awed by Jess’s ability to make her stomach erupt with butterflies. “All these stars, Jess, and you can’t help but look at me?”

Jess smiled back, her eyes shining despite the darkness. “I’ve got a much better view.” 

Rey doubted that, but she blushed anyways, bringing their hand up towards her face so she could kiss the back of Jess’s. The last two weeks had been perfect in a way that felt surreal. Rey had spent time as a child envisioning what it would feel like to fall in love, what it would mean to care about someone completely. Looking at Jess and the way her inky black hair was fanned around her, pulled out from her usual braid, Rey thought she had an idea now. Young Rey would never have been able to fathom a woman like Jess, and her presence in Rey’s life was a consistent surprise. Rey was glad for it. 

“What are you thinking about?” Jess rolled over onto her side, tangling her fingers into Rey’s hair. 

“You.” Rey answered, because it was true. 

Jess wrinkled her nose, stroking her thumb across Rey’s cheek. “You’re always thinking about me.”

Rey sat up, leaning over Jess so her hair fell into a curtain around them, letting their lips get close enough to touch. “Can you blame me?”

They kissed, deep and lovingly, the late summer breeze swirling around to caress their skin. A frog croaked in the distance, an answer to the owl’s own song. Rey moved to pull away, but Jess brought a hand to the back of her neck, holding her in place. 

“Don’t you dare.” Jess whispered, and Rey felt dazed by their contact. 

“The boys will be here soon,” Rey reminded her girlfriend, pressing a kiss to Jess’s jawline. 

“I don’t want to kiss the boys like this,” Jess deadpanned, moaning just a bit as Rey moved down to kiss her neck. 

Rey chuckled into her skin, biting just enough to give Jess goosebumps. “We could text them. Tell them not to come.”

Jess’s hands were traveling down Rey’s back now, toying with the fabric of her t-shirt. “Tell them if anyone’s coming tonight, it’s you.” 

Rey laughed, “That’s flattering.” 

Jess had no retort other than to flatten her palms against Rey’s skin, sliding them closer to the clasp on her bra. 

“Nu uh,” Rey scolded, pulling away finally. “Save it for later.”

Jess pouted up at her, sighing against the grass. “Tease.”

“Pervert.” 

They chuckled as a pair of headlights appeared from the driveway, alerting them of Poe and Finn’s arrival. Rey stood, holding her hands out to help Jess off the ground. Jess brushed the grass off of her pants, smiling as she heard Poe call out to them from the driver’s side window. They'd be late for their town's end of summer carnival. 

A breeze blew around the two girls as they walked towards the car, and Rey shivered, surprised by the drop in temperature compared to the earlier sunshine. Jess noticed, smoothing the goosebumps on Rey’s arm with the warmth of her hands. 

“Here,” Jess started to remove the flannel she’d tied around her waist, tucking it over Rey’s shoulders. “It gets pretty chilly around here come September, once the sun goes down. You might want to start carrying a sweater.”

Rey kissed her cheek in thanks pulling the fabric close around her. “I’ll have to remember that.”

Jess smiled at her before turning to walk to the car, jogging a little to avoid the boys yelling for them to hurry. Rey watched her go, letting Jess’s sentence float around in her mind.   
September. Rey was going to see Maine in September, because by some miracle she’d been given the chance to stay here, in the state that had brought her back to life. Arizona was a place of the past now, after years of being the only home she knew. Rey felt more alive here, and even as she looked up at the sky full of stars she’d known her whole life, she was glad her feet were on Maine soil. 

Jess called out to her from the car before she stepped in, and Poe honked the horn, startling Rey out of her little trance. Rey smiled, taking in the stars for one last second, before walking away. 

Arizona had taken so much from her, had taken her happiness, her hope, and the only woman she’d ever called family. Arizona had been harsh, had dried her up until she was a fraction of who she’d wanted to be. Now, as she climbed into the car full of people she loved, Rey knew that Maine was helping her grow, letting her blossom. Maine was watering her beautifully. 

It was good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END. 
> 
> I am suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I am going to miss writing this fic you guys. This is the first work I've done that's created real interaction with readers, gotten me real feedback on my writing, and been so god damn fun to write that I just couldn't stop. Thank you so incredibly much for everyone that took the time to write a kind word. I love these characters so much, and to hear that you loved the way I wrote them makes my heart sing. My vocabulary doesn't include the appropriate amount of words I'd need to thank you. 
> 
> There is a very large chance I'll be writig little one shots over the holidays (for Haloween, Thanksgiving, etc) just so I can revisit this world... Stay tuned. And god dammit, thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated, thanks for reading!


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